Everything
by Distant Storm
Summary: Sequel to [The Real Me]. When Kai is kidnapped, world champion AJ Carson knows she'll do whatever it takes to get him and her parents back alive. Even if it means suicide. Rated for language and slight violence. KaiOC TyHil.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own beyblade.

Summary: Sequel to [The Real Me. It will be a fight for the ages, to span the globe. World Champion AJ Carson, the GRevs, and a few friends will have to fight to get back what is lost. The problem is this: will it be enough? KaiOC TyHil.

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He pulled her closer to him, resting his back against the table portion of the picnic table. The girl looked first to his arm around her, then to his face. He looked passive, cool and collected. Typical Kai. While any other male would be in mid-spazm during his first party for the other side of the family, Kai seemed rather chilled out, if she said so herself.

"Oh my God!" A group of children, younger than ten years old, rushed over to them.

A young girl looked up at her with a light blush on her face. Either that, or she was obviously winded. "AJ, you never told me you knew Kai Hiwatari!" Coming closer to her, the girl whispered, "Do you know how talented he is? He's the best beyblader out there!"

From beside AJ, Kai chuckled knowingly. "Yeah, but AJ is pretty good. Not as good as me," He said swiftly, only to recieve a punch from the woman beside him. "Okay, maybe she's pretty close."

"You're acting funny," Another said. "Cousin AJ, why is Kai here? My Daddy said that he came with you and your parents."

Kai nodded. "I did come with Audrey," he said, slightly surprised at his popularity with the children. "Hey Aud, who are all these kids?"

The children all seemed to beam at him for his interest. "Well," Audrey said, looking at all of them, "The one who spoke to us first was Kara, the one who just drilled you and your lack of iciness is Danny, and then there's Nicole and Alex, the twins, and the youngest..." She trailed off as the littlest, a two-year-old girl, waddled her way over and extended her arms up to Audrey. "Hey sweetheart, can you tell Kai your name?"

The little girl was nothing but smiles, her curly blonde hair tucked back behind her ears. Unlike all the others, she had been with her mother instead of playing in the dirt. "Chloe," she said, before snuggling up to Audrey.

Kai extended a hand her way and Chloe took it, shaking it. "Hi there," he said, his mood obviously lifted by such a small child. She gurgled and moved from AJ to Kai within the minute, obviously liking the fresh face.

"Looks like you made a friend," AJ said, smiling warmly.

The championship beyblader shrugged at his girlfriend. "I like kids - sometimes."

"Only if they can go home?"

"Only if they don't turn out like Tyson."

"Or worse," she decided, looking out at the children who ran around once again. "Daichi."

Kai nodded, looking down at the little girl, who had fallen asleep. "She's cute."

"My second cousin. My cousin Ana's little girl." Kai nodded as the girl cuddled up against him, one hand gripping his scarf, the other uncurled upon his strong chest. "We've got a decent sized family," she said after a minute.

"Hn," he said, using his free hand to pull her closer again, this time her head rested on his shoulder. "Someday, maybe."

She laughed, quietly. "Yeah, okay. Phoenix, do you have any idea how moody a pregnant woman gets?"

He shrugged.

"You won't like it," A man said, coming over to them. He smirked at Audrey, who lifted up her head from Kai's shoulder. "Hi," he said to Kai. "I know who you are, obviously, but I'm Jake."

"Hi," Kai said, as the little mop of blonde curls stirred.

"Daddy?" The girl murmured, looking up at Jake. "Daddy!" She removed herself from Kai and let her father pick her up. Kai smiled at the girl who smiled back.

"She's really good," Kai said, looking at her.

Jake smiled. "Yeah, she's pretty mellow. Her mother was hell for that nine months though."

"What do you expect? You want to carry around an extra thirty-some pounds because you're going to spit out a kid?"

"Hey there, Ana," Both teens said.

"Hey guys, how are you doing?"

"Good," they answered unanimously.

Ana's hands fell to her hips. "How come you two aren't watching the runts attempt to beybattle?"

Kai's eyes sparked in amusement. "Well," Audrey began for him, "We'd probably end up fighting each other, and the beydish wouldn't last through either of our launches, eh baby?"

He nodded. "Though I'd win."

"Don't make me hurt you."

Jake shrugged it off. "Say goodbye, Chloe. We've gotta go, I've got to work tonight."

The blonde yawned but smiled again. "Bye AJ, bye Kai, wuv you!"

Both teens smirked, and Kai squeezed AJ's shoulder. "Bye, Chloe," he said, attempting to keep his composure. Once they said goodbye to both of Chloe's parents, Kai looked back at AJ. "Holy fuck."

"Any kid you have is going to turn you into twice the softy you are around me."

"I doubt it."

She shrugged. "Someday perhaps we'll see."

"We will," he said simply, kissing her temple. "Now where were these kids beyblading?"

"How old are you?" She asked him. He shrugged and allowed him to drag her along, by the hand. Typical Kai.

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Mrs. Carson smirked at the two teens, both of whom were laid out on the grass before her. They were such children at heart, though on this particular night, star-gazing was probably the best thing to do. The rest of the family that remained was scattered around a large bonfire, roasting everything from marshmallows to hot dogs.

"How long?" Her mother asked. "Those two have been together for quite some time, but how long?"

"Well Ma," Mrs. Carson said, "Not including the small snags, about a year and nine months."

"Snags? Rose, what are you talking about?"

There was a soft clearing of the throat from beside Rose Carson, as her husband spoke. "You all were made aware of Audrey's near-death experience, but there was one other occasion and it was quite an ordeal."

"Why would she be with him if his family wants to kill her?"

There was a little bit of laughter. "Well Mom," Rose said gently, "She had Kai's grandfather arrested for his confession of attempted murder, as well as all those tormentors in Kai's life to date. Your granddaughter is the World Champion of beyblading. I believe she's all-together capable of dealing with things."

"Kai is a wonderful boy," Rose's father proclaimed quietly. "He has nothing but respect for his elders, and nothing but love for my granddaughter. He has my blessing."

Meanwhile in the grass, AJ, squeezed her boyfriend's hand, whispering quietly, "It's really hard to get my Grandpa's approval. He's really protective. My Grandma is bad, but Grandpa can get a bit out of control sometimes."

Kai shrugged, looking upwards. His mind was spinning just a bit. Never before had he been welcomed into such a large family. Tyson's family accepted him, but they were just as broken up as his was, they just saw each other from time to time. AJ had a real family, and that family seemed to want him to be a part of it.

Rose looked at her husband Matthew. He looked over at the two in the grass. The only sign that they were more than friends was the intertwined hands between them. "Kai really loves her," He said simply. "And I -we - think of him like a son."

"Do you see her with anyone else?"

Matthew shook his head. "No. Honestly, I don't."

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It had been a long week. They had flown from Japan to California, stayed at Audrey's grandparent's house for the week, been to a family reunion, and then flown back to Japan. The calmest times were those in which they had been either star-gazing or sleeping. The plane ride was nothing short of turbulant and obnoxious, and the week had been spent getting questioned. Kai looked forward to whipping his team into shape, and getting a long rest, uninterrupted by people he barely knew.

"Mmn, hey, Kai, where are we?"

He smirked as he looked down at the girl who had curled herself up against him. "In the car, headed to Hilary's."

Mr. Carson looked in the rear-view mirror to catch a glimpse of the two teens. AJ was rather disoriented, and it was always an interesting trip with her. She spoke groggily again. "How did I get out of the plane and stuff?"

"I carried you." Kai smiled at her as they pulled into Hilary's driveway. "By the way, have you gained weight?"

She growled at him, but he already had the car door open and her in his arms. "Baka," she said, curling back up in the warmth of his arms. He shook his head as he shut the car door. None of their friends had come to the airport to meet them, since no one wanted to deal with mobs of fangirls or a grumpy Kai at three am. As a matter of fact, if they had shown up...

... He would have made them train.

"Can't you walk on your own, Audrey?" Mrs. Carson asked.

"Kai's strong, he can carry me," she murmurred, not bothering to attempt the feat for herself. Kai rolled his eyes in a less than serious manor and continued up the stairs. He stopped in their usual room, laying her on the bed before ditching his scarf and shirt.

Hilary was at Tyson's home, or else she was out like a light. Otherwise, she would have met them at the door. However, judging by the sounds in the room beside them, she was nowhere to be found, since her aunt and uncle were obviously crashed out on the bed.

Meanwhile, he continued to think, wondering about her family, about how things were being handled, and about how well things were going with his team. There was so much to be concerned about, especially with the championships coming up within the next few months...

AJ sat up a moment later, looking at his bare back in confusion.

"Phoenix?"

He didn't seem to hear her, continuing to stare downward at his hands. She laid her hands on his back, rubbing it gently. Her sleepy stupor had worn itself out quickly once he failed to respond. It took no time for him to lean back against her touch.

"Hey, what's got your mind going?"

He looked at her. She had also stripped herself of her jeans and shirt, leaning aginst him so skin touched skin. "The future."

"Why don't we take it one step at a time, kay, Phoenix? I know how you are." He slumped against her, before maneuvering himself so that he was stationed atop her. "Thanks for being cool this week, I know that it's tough being the odd one out."

He shook his head, kissing her roughly. He, surprisingly, never felt that way. He felt a strange sense of belonging with her that he had never felt before. It was nice to know that he had a place outside of beyblading.

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Tyson Granger smirked as his friends walked through the door. They had gone and trained - or pulled a Kai, as Tyson called it - at about five thirty in the morning. It was now nine, and although it was an early hour of the day for him to be awake, it bothered him that his friends had kept him out of the loop. Either way, Kai was coming back today... err.. last night, and he would probably end up working them into the ground anyway.

Although, it would have been nice to wake up and see Hilary still there...

Speaking of Hilary, the girl walked through the door, with another girl in-tow. "Hey, AJ," He greeted, saving the kiss for his girlfriend, who retreated to the comfort of his arms. "I thought Kai would be here by now."

"Jet lag caught up with him." She paused. "Don't tell him I said that though, he'll be grumpy when he gets here."

"Where is he?"

"Sleeping," Hilary said. "We both tried to get his ass up, and not even taking Dranzer motivated him."

Tyson gawked. "Seriously?"

There was silence as AJ pulled out a beyblade. It was undoubtedly Kai's. "Yeah. I think I'll upgrade it for him, since my mom got me an extra copy of the pictures from the family reunion. They're _baaaad_." She smirked at the warm beyblade. It heated up the ring on her hand, filling it - and the rest of her - with a good-natured warmth.

Hilary laughed. "Yeah, too bad I couldn't go. I wanted to, but my mom's always so busy."

"That's why we got pictures. Chloe _loves_ Kai. I think the Sourpuss might actually want kids someday." The girl flipped through pictures, only to place one - zoomed in, of course - on the counter. The group examined it, making cute noises. It was indeed a beautiful portait, with Kai smiling down at Chloe, who was already asleep on his chest. AJ took it after they all looked at it, slipping it silently into her purse. "Maybe..." she trailed off.

Hiro, who had been sitting quietly beside Tyson at the counter, spit out his coffee. Apparently the thought finally processed itself in her mind. "He what?"

Audrey rolled her eyes at him, causing him to blush a light pink color. "I said _someday_. Some. Day. Not now, Hiro."

The remaining people laughed, but left the room moments later. Hiro returned to his coffee, thinking about the embarassment he now faced... again. Stupid AJ. She loved to exploit and make fun of him. No wonder, now that he thought about it. She was Kai, through and through.

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Notes: Sooo... I think this would be an interesting beginning... but of course, my usual action-tastic-ness would return... so, if you don't mind, review, and I'll work on making more chapters at a faster rate! Ugh... this chappie was a pain to load!!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Don't own beyblade. Who? Me. Ah well...

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By the time he had risen from the queen-sized bed, it was already past noon. Barely, but after the half-day mark. He growled before rising. Once he had fallen asleep, there was no waking him, especially since he had neglected sleep during the flight home, as well as the time change. The difference between Japan and Miami was a big deal, yet he was used to it. This change, however, threw him off, since California's time was four hours behind Miami's, even if it was closer to his own. He rolled his eyes and stood up, heading to the shower.

And to think, he wanted to have a morning practice session too.

Before he stepped into the warm water of the shower he noticed something posted on the bathroom mirror. It was a simple note, since Kai probably would neglect his cell phone too. Speaking of that, he had no idea where it was either.

He scanned the message collecting the major points. AJ went to Tyson's, she has Dranzer, and she has a surprise for him. Whatever that was. Hurrying up, he showered, only to get out and realize that his clothes had already been laid out for him. AJ was a smart girl. She even hung up the scarf. He reminded himself to thank her for that later.

Within fifteen minutes, he finished getting ready, said hello to all the family, and headed out the door towards his car, only to see that it was not where he left it. Within five seconds, he had his cell phone whipped out and on his ear, ready to rip Audrey's head off. That was _his_ car, not hers. She had one, back in Miami, and certainly enough money to buy another or bring it overseas.

"Audrey, where is my car?"

Giggles ensued on the other end of the conversation. _"I borrowed it."_

"Why?"

_"Well how do you expect me to get across town if I have no transportation?"_

"Tyson has a car. Go wreck his."

She rolled her eyes on the other end, he could tell. _"Fine, no surprise for you."_

"Fine."

_"And I'll keep the car, while I'm at it. Perhaps you forgot who else you _gave_ a set of keys to..."_

"Aud..."

_"Chill, Kai, I'm coming back to get you, don't worry. I didn't even let anyone else ride with me."_

"That's good to know."

_"Yeah, love you too, Phoenix. Be there in five."_

"You too."

She grumbled. _"Sourpuss."_

"Don't you-" He noted that she had hung up, and rolled his eyes. A moment or two later, a dark blue truck appeared, and he noted that the driver slid into the passenger-side seat.

"G'mornin'," She said cheerfully.

He growled and rolled his eyes, walking around the front of the car. He slammed the door, obviously voicing his grumpiness without words.

"Brought you coffee," she said softly. He took it and drank, satisfied with the brew. She said nothing as he put the car in drive, obviously headed in the direction of Tyson's house.

He looked over at her once, noticing her seemingly distant look out the window. Apparently she felt his gaze though, since she looked in his direction, smiled sweetly - but not too sweet - and looked away. "I hate planes," he said after a moment.

She shrugged, taking his hand. "I know." They said nothing else as he finished the short drive to Tyson's, but instead cranked up the radio, letting the Rascal Flatts cheer him up - well, uhh, make him a bit less cantankerous. To AJ, at least. The rest of them were due for some hardcore training.

"You gonna help me?" He asked her. He still held that aura of grumpiness, but she did her best to ignore it.

She shrugged, knowing that would probably be an affermative.

"How about I start by giving you back your beyblade," she said simply, placing a warm item in his hands. It must have been in hers the entire time, because the warmth coming from it was incredible.

"Thanks," he said flatly, and shoved it in his pocket. She said nothing, not bothering to tell him what she had done. He'd notice eventually, and the longer he had no idea, the greater her reward.

Great, she chastised herself, now she sounded like a lap dog.

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The room was dark. The only light came from a computer in the corner, and an eerie blue-green glow from a large tube in the opposite one. There was a black screen implanted in the wall, obviously a plasma-screen television which was not in use at the moment. A figure stood in the center of the room, looking around.

"Perfect."

A moment later, two men walked up behind the figure, both dressed in black suits. They were bulky, like bouncers, and obviously just as smart as the stereotypical bodyguard.

"Sir."

The figure turned around as light from the hallway behind him spilled into the room. It was still eerie inside, as multiple tubes began to light up, some radiating black light, others in the same turquoise color, and one with a dark shade of violet.

"The plan. How is it coming?"

"We have everything in place, Sir," One said, not bothering to move out of the hallway. His boss liked the darkness.

The figure nodded, smirking. He took a step toward his two henchmen.

"Within the week, Sir," The second said, a bit shorter than the first. He cracked his knuckles as his boss formulated a response.

"Good work. I assume you will be doing it yourself?"

"Of course," they answered simultaneously.

"Good."

The two men bowed before backing out of the room. When the door shut behind them, their boss smiled.

Audrey Carson would never know what hit her.

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"C'mon, Kai! You've been gone all week!"

Tyson stood across from one of his best friends, his launcher pointed out in front of him. Cocky was a wonderful word used to describe Tyson. Kai used it frequently. The rip cord was already in place, as well as Dragoon, the blunette's trusted fighting partner.

"Alright," Kai said, slipping his hand into his pocket to pull out Dranzer. Her beyblade was still as exceedingly warm as he pushed it onto his launcher without a glance.

The Dragoon wielder looked at Audrey, who shrugged in sheer annoyance. The blunette smirked. Kai's grumpiness had obviously taken away from his ability to note subtle changes in his environment.

"Alright," Hiro said, walking up to the two. He stood between them with his arms up in the air. "On my count. Three, two, one!"

"Let it rip!"

Both beyblades went careening into the dish at a speed reached only by champions. Kai's blue beyblade spun faster than usual, much to the notice of both Kai and Tyson. "Wow," Kenny said, overlooking the battle with Dizzi. "That spin's almost twenty-five percent better than your usual best. Changes like that are catastrophic for opponents!"

Hilary nudged AJ. She'd spent hours reconstructing that beyblade. Neither Tyson nor Hilary had ever spent that long on miniscule modifications. Perhaps if they did, they could also achieve results like that.

"Go for it Tyson!" Hilary cheered. "So what if he's faster than usual!"

"Thanks, Hil," Tyson said, as much sarcastic as he was serious. "Remind me that he's got the better beyblade."

There was a shower of sparks and the sound of heated metals colliding. Max and Ray came out of the dojo, obviously moved by the beybattle unfolding before them. "Wow," Max said, looking at the intensity between them. "This one will be close."

Audrey nodded. "I'm sure it will be."

Collisions of beyblades ensued, until Tyson had taken enough. "Dragoon!" He called, and his beyblade's speed doubled. A cyclone quickly developed, and a bluish-white dragon arose from the eye of the storm.

"Dranzer!"

All spectators watched anxiously for the arrival of the phoenix. Sadly, nothing happened.

All eyes landed on Kai, who went from being his pleasantly grumpy self to being downright pissed off. Hilary nudged AJ again, and the girl said nothing.

It wasn't needed, considering the amused smirk that crossed her dark-stained lips. She began to laugh, though she controlled its intensity for the most part.

"What's so funny?" Kai growled at her. This was obviously not his day. "Dranzer, what the hell are you doing?"

"I don't think she likes you today," Hilary said, a smile breaking out on her lips as Audrey lost it, rolling on the ground laughing at her boyfriend's misfortune. A few moments later - following a number of angry looks from Kai, and confused looks from the rest of the team, save Tyson and Hilary - she regained enough composure to smile at Kai between gentle chuckling.

AJ noted his sheer anger, but beyond that, his slight embarassment. "Okay, Dranzer, you've punished him enough. Whether he's an insensitive asshole or not, you should really help him out."

"Because that's going to do anything," Kai yelled at her.

She shrugged. "We'll see, won't we, Kai?"

Sure enough, a moment later, his beyblade glowed a warm red as Dranzer emerged from her bit. Kai growled and ordered an attack, which was executed perfectly.

"Dragoon, Galaxy Turbo Attack!"

The dragon viciously assaulted the phoenix, resulting in a catastrophic-looking smoke cloud. When it cleared, however, the victor was clear.

"Kai wins!"

"Wow," the group said, surprised at the outcome. They gazed in the dish, noticing a reddish tint to the blue beyblade. Dranzer's aura had surrounded it, keeping the entire structure perfect. Kai wordlessly recalled his beyblade, only to drop it on contact, thanks to the scorching heat.

"Stupid bird," he muttered.

Audrey shrugged, unimpressed. She knew he was crabby, but she had literally gotten up hours early just to make that goddamn beyblade perfect for him.

"You're welcome," she said curtly, before turning on her heel and walking away.

The group watched her exit the Granger's property wordlessly, before Kai spoke. "What's her problem?"

Hilary rolled her eyes. "I don't know, you were pretty mean."

"Yeah," Tyson said. "She was just trying to lighten things up." 

"Dranzer not listening is _real_ funny," he retorted sarcastically.

Silence reigned as Max ran over to the dish to pick up Kai's discarded beyblade.

"Hey, Kai, where'd you get the new beyblade?" The blonde asked. "It's sweet!"

Ray nodded, looking at it in surprise. "That's freakin' awesome, dude. Did you do that yourself?"

Kai growled as he swiped back the beyblade. "I did nothing-" Realization hit him like a slap to the face as he looked at the beyblade. It's dull blue color was replaced by that of a metallic navy and black chrome. The attack ring jutted out in a newer, more aerodynamic variation, and the entire beyblade was lighter in his hands. It fit perfectly. It was a completely different beyblade. How had she done that? He never said he wanted a new beyblade, not to mention how picky he was with parts and pieces, as well as the overall feel. She really knew him well, didn't she?

Hilary and Tyson smiled knowingly. "She spent all morning on that, just to let you know."

The Russian looked quickly to a smirking Hiro, who was obviously gloating over Kai's idiocy. "Granger, train these losers. I'll be back."

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Rose Carson rubbed his shoulder as she passed by; Kai was far too hard on himself. "She knows you're just a little moody. She'll get over it."

The Russian placed the beyblade on the table. "I didn't even notice."

The woman sat across from him, a cup of coffee in her hands. "And how many times have you done something for her that she never notices?"

Kai stayed quiet. She had a point.

"Exactly, honey. And you never say anything. This time it was a bit more noticible, but even I was jet-lagged. And I travel the world like a fiend."

Kai nodded, thinking for a moment. He still felt bad, but at least Mrs. Carson - Mom - treated them both rationally, unlike any other mom in the world who would have laid the blame entirely on him.

"Could I make a suggestion?" A voice called from the doorway.

"Sure, Dad," Kai said, sighing. He'd take what he could get.

Mr. Carson smirked, entering the room. "Perhaps you should go check out the beach. She hasn't seen it in over a week, and we all know it is her favorite place."

Within five seconds, Kai had gone out the door, leaving the two parents to look at each other. Hilary's mother, Carolyn walked in the room. "You know, I've never seen him feel bad before." She paused. "Well, at least never when someone's life wasn't in the balance."

"That's our Kai, the silently emotional one."

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He had scowered the beach high and low, looking for her. Sadly enough, she was not there. It was strange though, that he got these wierd feelings. What if something happened? What if someone else found her? What if she totally gave up on him? Would she even do that?

His mind was reeling as he continued his walk. He had a knack for concocting the best worst-case scenarios in his mind and convincing himself that they were most likely real.

"God damn it."

He looked around again, saw no one, and sat down, gazing at the waves. If he went out to look throughout the city, she would end up on the beach. So, he figured that he would wait.

And wait.

And wait...

Okay, this was not going to work, he realized.

Time to hit the streets.

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Green eyes blinked, then looked around. Gosh, she had never meant to be gone this long. She was just being the typical girl, walking off her anger. In reality, she was just a tad annoyed, not even enraged. She hated when Kai talked to her like that. He was short with his friends sometimes, but almost never with her. And if he was short, he never took a monotone in addressing her. That pissed her off, because she had never met an individual as complex as he happened to be.

"Hey baby, whatcha doin'?"

Audrey looked over her shoulder at the boy. He was pretty cute, but his only thoughts seemed to come from his pants.

"Walking away from you."

The boy caught her wrist as she took a step.

"C'mon, you're hot, I'm hot, let's do something."

She broke from his grip, only to have him pull him in with his other hand.

"No, let go of me."

"What? Obviously no one is with you, girly," He yanked her hand, to pull her in close, "So stop complaining. Plenty of girls wanna be with me. You're lucky."

She rolled her eyes. "I doubt that, loser."

His grip on her only tightened, and in her position, she had no ability to pull away. He had her, and things were starting to get bad. That was _not_ a beyblade in that pervert's pocket.

"If you go nicely, this will all be a lot more fun."

AJ growled. "Never, you pervert."

"Is a little fun too much to ask?"

"Far too much."

He began to lead her forward, keeping his hands around her rather provocatively.

"My boyfriend will kill you," AJ threatened.

He seemed to care less, choosing a very nice alleyway ahead and to the right. At that point he pinned her against the wall, listening to her wear herself out screaming for him not to touch her. His lips curved into an amused smile.

"Yeah, baby, I like 'em fiesty."

"Don't touch me!" Hot tears spilt from her eyes. She was Kai's. No one else's. No one should be touching her. She felt dirty, impure, though nothing had happened. Just this freak's gaze made her feel as such.

"C'mon, it's nothin' too serious, after all, we're just messin' around."

A haze seemed to engulf the air as a very dark voice echoed from behind him.

"_Touch her and I kill you._"

Audrey Carson had never seen Kai Hiwatari so angry. In a flash, her harasser had been thrown to the ground brutally, already bleeding from the mouth.

"Whoa, hey man, I didn't know she was yours."

"_Liar._" His eyes were almost a deep violet, his rage getting the best of him as he punched the pervert into the concrete repeatedly.

"Kai, stop. He's not even conscious."

The Russian didn't. Instead, he continued on with a feverish intensity. "You deserve to die," Kai said heatedly, his assault failing at no point.

She reached out and grabbed his arm. "Kai... Kai... Phoenix, please, I beg of you. You've avenged me." He blinked twice, as if coming out of a trance. He stood up straight, only to have AJ fling herself at him, tears flowing down her cheeks. He saw the shame in her eyes. "I thought he was going to - God, I'm so sorry."

Sorry? She was sorry? Kai composed himself, catching her under the knees and picking her up like a bride on her wedding night. He continued in silence, never ceasing to carry her until they reached the beach, at which point he set her down beside him in the sand.

"Don't say you're sorry."

She gasped, looking at him. Her mind was reeling. This was it, wasn't it? "B-but-"

He pulled her very close, examining the ring on her left ring finger. "Have you ever thought of wearing this on your other hand?"

She looked up at him curiously, her tears subsiding. He wordlessly plucked the ring off her left hand and placed it on her right. What was he getting at?

"The beyblade-"

"Don't mention it."

He looked down at her. "Syao-Ai," he began, "Ano..."

"Thank you." He looked at her. Damned girl could never say angry at him.

"Gomen nagasai."

"Don't apologize, Phoenix, I know." He held her, examining the damage. There were bruises on her perfect skin from where her attacker had grabbed her, refusing to let go.

Without words, he kissed her, admiring the taste of her lips, her tongue, her mouth. She was a flavor all her own, and it was this one that he found to be his favorite. When finished, she smiled against his lips. "We should get back," She said softly. "I'm sure that the guys will be wondering what happened to us."

He nodded, standing up first, only to extend a hand to her. She took it, keeping their hands locked as they began the walk back. "How did you know how to build it?"

"Dranzer," She said sheepishly. "If the beyblade felt warm, I knew she liked it. If not, then I knew you wouldn't be satisfied."

He rolled his eyes.

"What?" She asked, slightly concerned.

An amused smirk appeared on his face. "What can't you do?"

"Beat you in a bey-battle," she said, only to get another kiss.

She supposed it was the correct answer for Kai, but someday... oh yeah, he'd be going down.

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Four figures stood at the ready, dressed in identical uniforms.

"Aishiteru, Kai-kun."

Laughter.

"Wow, Audrey, you're definitely catching the drift of this Japanese stuff," Tyson commented. "Well at least the romantic stuff we hardly ever use."

"I'm not exactly ordinary, Ty, get used to it."

"That's for sure."

The sound of a slap resonated throughout the yard.

Unnoticed by them, the four figures behind the large bushes separating Hilary's backyard from that of the outside world checked their communicators.

"Pathetic," one of them said.

Another smirked. "Agreed."

"When do we move in?" The shortest asked.

"When One gives us the okay. Until then, just watch. We need all of them together."

The sound of a communicator was heard. "This is Rex. One, do you copy?"

"pssh... _This is One. Are the three targets within our grasp?_"

Rex pressed the button, allowing One to receive his voice on a communicator identical to his own. "Yes, One, sir, we have the three targets within sight. We await your orders."

"pssh... _Wait until they're good and comfy then begin the assault. You know how to begin it. Take the couple out from behind, and make the rest of them hurt over the grand finale._"

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Notes: Hmm... so what's going to happen?! I know, but you won't find out unless you review! Oh, and as far as chapters go, I'm not entirely positive how long this will be, but it will be a tad dramatic, and full of action and twists. Hope you like it! I stayed up until almost 2:30 am, my time, editing it. Oh, and by the way, I have up to the mid-way point of Chapter SIX done. MoonlightSerenity has been my peronal reader, apparently she likes the paragraph by paragraph as I write thing. Either way, Review and I post. No reviews and you get nothing.

By the way:

Syao-Ai means Lil' Lover.

Ano means umm...

Gomen nagasai is an 'I'm sorry.'

Love ya, Distant Storm

Psst... Review!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer goes HERE.

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It would be a wonderful evening. The weather was warm, not too humid, and not too scorching. The sun's afterglow left a pinky-orange hue to linger in the sky while the trees danced to a light breeze. Such was the norm in Bakuten, Japan. It was a beautiful place to live when the weather was nice.

Tyson had just finished telling a joke, to which most of their group laughed. While it was typical to have large 'family' dinners at the Granger Dojo, somehow, Hilary Tatibana's home had become the new hangout. Both Tyson's grandfather and brother, his team mates, as well as his girl friend and some of her immediate family were gathered in Hilary's backyard for a large gathering. It would be the final night that Hilary's aunt and uncle would be in town for a few months, so the goodbye was to be heartfelt.

"Alright," Carolyn Tatibana said, motioning to Hilary and her cousin for help, "Dinner's ready."

AJ Carson, Carolyn's niece, nodded, removing her hand from her boyfriend's thigh. He gave her a surprised look, only to receive a playful one. She stood, walking away from him to join her cousin and aunt, leaving him to watch her from behind. That was a good view, he decided. She had attempted to speak in Japanese before, which went over in a less than serious way.

The dragon wielder jumped up in excitement, followed by his monkey-like sidekick. "Yeah! I finally get my bar-b-que," He proclaimed in joy.

From across the picnic bench, a pair of eyes rolled as a third person stood to help out. There was a snide laugh from beside Tyson, to which the eye-roller smirked at.

"Tyson," Hilary said, placing a plate of marinated chicken before both her aunt and uncle, "You could act just a tad more civilized."

Max Tate, one of the newly enlarged group of Americans laughed. "Yeah, man, you're almost as bad as Dai."

The monkey-looking kid looked at Max with a bit of anger. "Hey! You're worse than us when you've had sugar."

From beside Max, the ever-calm Ray Kon stole a glance at his captain, who was getting reprimanded by his girlfriend for picking at her plate. "Now, now, this is supposed to be a _nice_ dinner. Don't ruin it."

All three of the boys beside the neko-jin sighed and bowed their heads. "Yes, Mother," they responded unanimously.

Ray beared a sharpened tooth. "Excuse me?"

Rose Carson smiled, a light laugh escaping her lips. "Kai's told me that you're the mother hen of the group," she said kindly, "And I'd have to say that you do a decent job of keeping them in line."

From behind Rose, laughter seemed to spread. "Come on, Ma, did you think that Kai would be doing that in public?" Her boyfriend gave her a glare that he obviously couldn't follow through on and sat down beside Matthew Carson, Hilary's uncle.

Tyson nodded. "Yeah, it's only those life-threatening situations that makes him all protective."

The group laughed, knowing it was true. However, Ray's head tilted toward the fence-like bushes throughout this round of laughter, one of many on that evening.

"Hey, guys, is there something in the bushes?"

Hilary shrugged. "Probably just a squirrel."

Ray shrugged in response to hers and paid no mind to it. His guard was up, however. Something gave him a dark aura. There was just something out of place on this night. Was it too good to be true?

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From across the table, Hilary eyed her cousin carefully. Hilary's boyfriend then nudged her, only to receive a glance, to which he followed to AJ.

Okay, his mind said, what is up with AJ? He gave her a once over. Everything appeared to be in order... Wait. Tyson looked over at Hilary, the question burning in his eyes obviously the correct one. Well, either way, it was kind of expected. Kai was definitely not meant for anyone else, judging by the way he unconditionally loved everything about her.

Apparently Matthew Carson had also noticed, giving her daughter's left hand a strange look before responding to something his wife said. The promise ring from Kai had suddenly migrated from left to right hands, and that was something that set up tons of little warning flags. He wouldn't... would he?

Either way, no one had time to ask, as a beyblade came flying from between the Rose and Matthew, only to destroy most of their lovely dinner.

That was one way to thoroughly piss off Tyson, as the champion had his beyblade out and launched before they stood up.

"Nobody messes with my dinner!"

"Chill it, T-Dawg," His grandfather warned. "You don't know what this cat can do."

Ray's fangs were beared as his eyes hardened. "Well I know that this cat isn't happy. Go Drigger!"

The two beyblades assaulted the initial one, causing it to break into pieces.

Kai, obviously enraged by the fact that the only two paternal figures near to him were nearly beheaded, stood up menacingly. "Whoever you are, come out now!"

Not a single person would deny that tone from Kai. Wordlessly, four figures seemed to materialize as they appeared through the bushes. "As you wish, Mr. Hiwatari."

The Russian's stature did not change, though he moved to the front of the group. His aura radiated of pure protectiveness, being in the presence of those he cared about. "What do you want?" He asked, sparing the small-talk.

A single one stepped forward. He was large and muscular, with dark cocoa colored skin and dark hair shaved close to his head. "Perhaps Mr. Hiwatari, you should step down. It is not you we wish to speak to."

"Get lost," Audrey growled from beside Kai. "No one wants you here so leave."

"Alright, that we will."

The sound of a chopper's blades beating the air became louder as a spotlight shone brightly upon the Tatibana's back yard. It became hard to see around them, since the pale light of the twilight was not meant for hawk-like vision.

"Don't you touch them! Leave them alone!"

The entire group turned away from the large man infront of them, only to see two slightly smaller men, each with an unconscious person - an adult - in their arms. Hilary came flailing at one of them, trying desperately, only to be thrown back.

"Stupid bitch," One of the guards said. "Don't you have some dolls to play with, girlie?" His taunts fell on deaf ears as a fourth man jumped upon a rope hanging from the chopper above.

The group migrated toward the chopper's rope, gathering around Hilary, who was supported by Tyson. The girl looked over at AJ with tears in her eyes. "They've got your parents," She said softly, her words nearly drown out by the chopper's consistant beating.

"No!" AJ jumped up into the air, landing on the rope. Instantly, however, she was thrown back down by one of the men. He happened to have her mother's limp body slung over his shoulder, and was climbing the rope, while kicking back, landing it right in her shoulder, near the location of her all too famous gun wound from the year previous.

Kai, amidst the chaos, waited for the last man to jump on the rope before secretly grabbing on himself. AJ glanced upward, doing a double-take as she saw his form moving up the ladder, toward the chopper. The get-away transporter seemed to collect altitude.

"I think he's gonna make it," Hiro said, shocked only slightly by the actions unfolding. Strange things happened to them. _A lot_. He was helping his brother attend to Hilary, who had a nice gash on her arm from being thrown into the ground.

The brother's words must have reached the largest man's ears, for he looked down and acted quickly. In one swift motion, he had reached out, grabbed the top of the rope and the bottom of the chopper and pulled himself into a sitting position, his feet sticking out into the night air. His second motion was worse: with one foot, he looped the rope ladder around it, so that the ladder spun dangerously as the chopper gained altitude. Kai grabbed onto the final rung as the chocolate-skinned man landed a lethal kick to the side of the captain's head, smirking sadistically as maroon colored liquid fell from the boy's scalp line.

"I'll kill you!" AJ screamed above all the noise, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "I'll fucking kill you!"

The man's arms grasped Kai's shoulders, thus pulling him into the large chopper. At the last second, AJ caught a faint glimmer falling from the beastly contraption and rushed forward to catch it. She knew what it was without looking and took a look skyward. She noted a quick nod and a sweet - only for her - smile from her boyfriend, before his eyes closed and his body went noticibly limp.

The rope was immediately cut and the chopper took off, as if rockets had propelled it in its desired direction.

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"Somebody call the cops!"

A cringe was universal as the boys rushed around in circles, trying to figure out what to do. The broken dishes and delicious dinner had been forgotten in their haste, leaving the animals of the night to do as they pleased with the leftovers.

Carolyn Tatibana's hand was placed gently on her niece's shoulders. "Calm down. Tyson called the police."

"And?" Her tone was sour, trembling with both fear and rage. Someone would be paying dearly.

Tyson sighed, sitting down next to her. "AJ, the cops were being pricks. They said that no helicopters were in the sky tonight. They keep records. We'll have to try again tomorrow."

"That's not good enough!"

Hilary, who was laying upon her mother's navy plush couch, shifted positions. "H-hey, anybody call Dickenson?"

A number of heads whipped Hilary's direction, where as Tyson returned to his girlfriend's side. "No," The blunette answered. "I'll get on that-"

His grandfather stopped him from leaving Hilary. "It's been done, T-Dawg. I took care of it. Stanley's on his way."

AJ sat herself down at the kitchen table, head bowed, staring at the object in her hands. "This is all my fault!" Her fists slammed against the finished oak, resulting only in throbbing fists for the teen. Her tears now spilt, untamable by any force.

The weight of the crimes commited was only beginning to sink in. Kai was an obvious target. Yes, he was the one who happened to have certain connections and people wanting his life. That was expected. Yet...

Whoever wanted - well, whatever they wanted, wanted it from her, since they had taken the three most important beings in her life, save Viatsu.

Ray, having taken notice of the young woman's emotional status, took a seat beside her and said nothing, instead gazing at the item in her hands. "Guys!"

The pacing group assembled behind them in the doorway. "Yeah, what's going on Ray?" Max asked, as Kenny and Daichi nodded anxiously. Dizzi must have been working herself into a frenzy, since Kenny had yet to stop typing upon her keyboard.

"Were they after bit beasts?"

"That's possible," Kenny said, "But if so, why wouldn't they just attack us with beyblades?"

Their heads hung; yet another idea had been thrown out the window.

Audrey's head rose. "They were after me," She told them, her voice heated in anguish. "Why else would they take two people who couldn't even blade?"

"Kai's an obvious choice of a captive. He's far too valuable to us, not to mention he's the only one you all listen to unconditionally." Hiro's voice softened, trying desperately to calm the girl. "He's got Dranzer on him all the time. He'll be able to defend himself."

"I have Dranzer."

The group's attention went to AJ's hands, where a bit chip resided. The phoenix was curled up in her typical stance, though the snowy white background was hot to the touch. "They'd probably take her anyways," Tyson said softly. The blunette wiped away the stray tears on her face gently, before hugging her tightly. "Leaving her with you was his best option."

"They should have taken me," She retorted painfully. "I don't even know what the hell they want from me!"

"No one ever does."

The reigning world champion stood as the BBA's CEO, Stanley Dickenson, stepped into the house. He was dressed in his usual green olive colored suit with his brown wooden cane in tow. She was immediately hugged for what seemed like hours by the man, before being led into her aunt's livingroom to discuss exactly what had occurred.

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All he was aware of was the throbbing. It began from his head and seemed to spread throughout his body. The pain was almost blinding, but it paled in comparassion to other treatments he had been through. At the moment, he knew that consciousness was the best thing for his well-being, but the depths of unconsciousness pulled at him with pleasure.

"Kai? Kai, honey?"

He blinked. As his eyes opened and stayed that way, he felt an immense wave of pain come over him. Almost immediately, he rolled over and vomitted, his body shaking uncontrollably.

"You must have had a concussion," Matthew said to him. "How do you feel?"

"Like shit."

Rose nodded, pulling out a hankerchief from her pocket. "Your head was bleeding something fierce when we first woke up." The woman stood, walking to the edge of her cell, whipping the white object across the hallway. It flew between the bars of Kai's own cell, and the boy picked it up, first whiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He then pressed the white cloth against the initial throbbing point. Dried blood was caked everywhere, from his head, down to his arm. That kick must have done a number, he decided.

"Where are we?" The youngest asked, looking around. There were only two cells in this corridor, both the Carsons sharing one, leaving him with the other, smaller one.

Matthew shrugged. "No idea. We were awakened by a suited man throwing us in this cell. Other than that, we have no idea what happened."

"Have they said anything to you?" Kai asked.

"Nope. We have no idea what they want."

"Aud," Kai said softly, his thoughts resting on that distressed and horrified look upon her face when she had seen them being taken. "No one has ever threatened adults," He explained. "If they're taking you, then they've got some kind of problem with Audrey, so they're trying to strip her of everything she cares about."

"Viatsu?" Rose questioned.

"They'd go after one of the four sacred bit beasts," Matthew decided, only to receive a nod from Kai. "Viatsu is powerful, but there's nothing overly special about her, aside from her power."

"Someone's been studying their bit beasts," Rose mentioned, with a smirk.

A dark voice echoed throughout their corridor. "Yes, pehaps you have studied, but what you know is not enough."

Kai clenched his beyblade tightly, even though his faithful companion, Dranzer, was not with him. He knew she would be an edge, but having her could possibly get one of the Carsons killed if he did not deal properly.

"And what is it that we should know?" Matthew demanded. "Where the hell are we?"

The voice continued, its echo subsiding as the one speaking came closer to them.

"It would have been nice, had we all known what I wanted in the first place, but perhaps not even Miss Carson is aware of what she is capable of."

"Couldn't you just go after the four sacred bit beasts?" Kai asked, annoyance apparent. "Haven't you noticed that's what everyone goes after?"

The owner of the voice came into view, being a tall, lean man with dark, almost black emerald hair, and beady black eyes. "It's a shame then, that you lacked to bring Dranzer. Of course, your launcher was nowhere to be seen either, so how will only a beyblade help you?"

"Leave him be," Rose said angrily. "What exactly is going on here? What do you need our daughter for?"

"While you know the one we wish to torment, perhaps it would be helpful if I explained something to you."

Silence reigned as a beckoning for the man to continue.

"If you think that what happened at the world championships was even the limit of Viatsu's power, you have another thing coming."

"There are more powerful bit-beasts," Kai retorted. "As powerful as Viastu and AJ are, they are not the best. What about Tyson?"

The man smirked. "Yes, Tyson is a wielder of extraordinary power. Everyone knows that. And while I would love to possess Dragoon, something about Viatsu calls to me. She is on the brink of another evolution, as I anticipated at the finals last year."

"What do you mean?"

"As a bit beast grows, Rose Carson," The woman shrunk back into her husband's protective arms, "It evolves. And your daughter's bit beast is on the final stages of its current evolution. The next stage can be anticipated to be different than any other level of bit beast. She may, as sad as it may be to mention it, even get destroyed by its power. That is why someone like me-"

"Viatsu would never hurt her," Kai growled.

The man walked to the edge of Kai's cell. "You're right, Viastu would never hurt her." He paused. "But with a little reasoning from me," The man walked back toward the direction in which he came, "She may wish to have Viatsu finish her off. Permanently."

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Notes: Well, that was interesting. Now you should definitely review, and I'll include some fun stuff for next chapter, involving some BBA issues, some teamwork and spirit-ness, and quite possibly... well, I can't tell you the entire plan, that would ruin everything. So review and I'll update asap!

Also, I wanted to tell you that i'm going away as of wednesday afternoon, and because I love you - yeah, YOU - even if you don't review, I'll put up the next chapter anyway. Although, I would appreciate a bit of encouragement.

Love ya's!

Distant Storm


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer goes HERE.

Required Listening: Requium Inori, from Trinity Blood's OST. I don't own it, but the song was majorly inspirational for the final portion of the chapter.

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She opened her eyes and felt strangely... cold. She hated it. In a flourish, she whipped off the sheets and stripped herself of yesterday's clothes. They were beaten up, covered with dried tears and yesterday's dinner. A moment later, she took the shower and turned it onto its hottest setting. It burned, but felt better than usual.

Kai always took hot showers... she recalled faintly, before she threw the shampoo at the wall. Goddamn it, she wasn't supposed to be thinking about that. So much for ignorant bliss.

A head poked in the door. "Audrey, honey, are you okay?"

"Fine," She snapped at her aunt, who sighed before closing the door to her bathroom.

Haphazzardly, she finished washing, throwing miscellaneous bottles that seemed to laugh at her pain at the wall. She then proceeded to drip all over the floor, like a shaggy dog. Wasting no time to straighten her naturally wavy hair, she left it wet, wrapping the towel around herself long enough to shut the door to her bedroom. Stepping over to the closet she shared with Kai as of late, she dropped the towel and stared into it. Everything smelled like him. She threw a pair of jeans and a tight-fitting shirt onto her bed, before stepping into both her undergarments and the selected clothes.

She looked distressed, but sexy, as most people loved to see her look the way she did currently. She whipped her hair around in the towel on the floor, drying it most of the way, before throwing it at the bathroom door and gathering her purse and some other selective materials.

A moment later, she stook the steps two at a time, stopped in the kitchen for her breakfast - well, a can of Monster since she couldn't seem to stomach any food, and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Carolyn asked her.

"The BBA, then possibly back here. I've gotta do something," She responded miserably, the sadness on her face concealed by a pair of amberish-pink tinted, gold rimmed aviator sunglasses. She removed them for a moment. "I'll be back by dark. If not, call the cops."

The woman smiled sadly and nodded. AJ pulled out a set of keys, obviously to Kai's truck. "Be careful."

"I'll try."

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"Move it!"

The large man, who they had learned was called Rex, shoved Kai roughly with his enormous hand.

"You have half an hour to clean yourself up. Any longer and you take away from the rest of their time."

Kai said nothing, knowing damn well that he could clean himself up in half that time. After all, he was an 'Abbey Kid,' the term most of the kids had adopted to describe their condition. He would be finished in fifteen. Maybe then 'Mom' could have some extra time.

Strange was one word to describe this predicament. He was so caught up in thinking about himself - usually. This was the complete opposite. Whatever the Carsons needed, they would get. Every other day, the group was taken from their cells, their clothes were washed, and they were permitted to shower. It was bizarre, though the rest of their time was spent staring at the walls.

The portions of food given to them twice a day was rather meager too, nothing fantastic, though to Kai, it was better than most prison food.

He got himself cleaned up quickly, then exited, his damp hair dripping slightly at the tips. "Go ahead," He said gently to Rose. The woman looked at him. Kai, however dark he could be, was nothing short of his typical, respectful self. She on the other hand, had found herself short and mostly silent. Her husband said little, and since there had been no contact between them and the outside world, he feared horribly for their company. It would not be pretty at any point in time when they returned.

Rose nodded and entered the room, leaving Matthew to stand in silence beside Kai.

"She's going to lose it," Kai said quietly.

"What?"

The champion closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall. A guard looked at him menacingly, but it phased him not. "She's going to explode one of these days. You can tell she's distressed."

Matthew nodded. "We're not used to this type of treatment."

"It sucks, but I've been through worse."

"How much worse could it have been?"

"Don't ask."

The man looked at Kai fearfully. The champion took his scarf and wound it around his neck wordlessly. "Do you think they'll find us?"

"If they're after Viatsu, yes. No matter what, someone makes a blunder that the Chief can pick up on. Not to mention that Dickenson's probably getting harrassed something fierce by AJ..."

Kai's silence surprised Matthew. The champ had been nothing short of supportive, leaving the two of them with nothing but encouragement. It had been weeks that they had gone without being found, yet Kai instilled the same beliefs in them. They _would_ make it out of this. They _would _be found. Kai was rather defensive of them, constantly provoking their captors as to deflect attention away from the couple. Never once did he look hopeless, instead, he kept his calm demeanor. At this moment, Matthew realized that it was a facade, one that his daughter had told him about.

In the captain's hand was a beyblade lacking its bit chip. "That's the one she made, right?"

He nodded.

Matthew smirked. "She'll be able to get us out. All hell will break loose eventually."

A smirk illuminated Rex's features from down the hall. "She's taking far too long!" With a few stride from his massive legs, Rex began to pound on the door to the bathroom that the trio used for their showers. "We have punishments for people who take advantage of what they're given."

Rose emerged a moment later, her face pale and ghostly, her body trembling like that of a mouse before a hungry snake.

"You've all been receiving hotel-styled treatment, and all of you have taken advantage." Although where, not even Rex knew. He just wanted to crack the whip a little and make things a little harder for them. After all, the Hiwatari kid was obviously expecting worse. "It's time for some punishments to be handed out."

Rex reached out a hand to slap the woman, but Kai extended his arm, thus blocking the hit.

His look was determined. "Whatever punishment you have for them, I'll take."

A devious smile coveted Rex's features. "Perhaps it is time for you to meet One."

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He was thrown, face down, into the cell. Rose gasped in horror.

"Oh my God, Matthew, oh my God!"

Kai pushed himself up with his hands, and leaned - standing up, mind you - against the wall. A few seconds later, he was lowered to the floor, his head bowed, staring downward. A smudge of blood decorated the slate colored wall from where he slid down.

"Kai, son, are you alright?"

The Russian boy nodded, though the action went almost unnoticed. They had indeed saw. There was blood seeping through the back of his shirt. He had taken off the scarf and kept it off, leaving it in the corner of the room.

"They - they must have flogged-"

"Fifty," He said dazedly.

"That could kill," Rose said softly, tears spilling from her eyes. "Those horrible, horrible people!"

Kai looked up at them, so that they were eye to eye. "I'll be fine."

Matthew shook his head. "You should be in a hospital! You could die!"

Silence took over for a few moments, before Kai spoke levely, his eyes still interlocked with theirs.

"I've been through worse."

The two Carsons stared at him in disbelief. They knew about the abbey. It had been no secret. In all reality, they had to rethink things here. Exactly how tough was Kai Hiwatari?

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Tyson smiled sadly at her. Weeks had gone by, and people had been made aware. The public was in a frenzy. The adult world was in an uproar because of the disappearance of the Carsons, and the beyblading - not to mention every girl from age ten through thirty's - world had been overturned because of Kai's disappearance. The news stations covered this so often that they never watched the television.

No leads had been discovered. Whoever did this, planned out what they were going to do.

"I think they're trying to make me flipping crazy!"

"They never needed any help there," Tyson retorted, attempting to make a joke. It must have been really funny too, since he just narrowly avoided the the plastic bowl thrown at him.

Hilary saw it in her eyes. The hollowness they reflected scared her. She had yet to beyblade. Without them, she had nothing to live for. That was frightening.

"You can't give up," Tyson's grandfather said seriously. "No matter what, you can't."

AJ looked up. "I know. It's getting harder though."

The man nodded. "It will be tough, home-girl. It will be tougher than any other jive you've been through. You'll pull through it, because you're a tough dudette."

"I hope you're right," She said softly. "I honestly pray that you're right."

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After a month had passed, AJ decided that something had to be done. She was going to have to do something, one way or another.

Once it became completely dark outside - not even the moon was out on this particular night - she took everything she felt she would need. Both Kai's launcher as well as her own was packed in her large purse. She then entered her room once more, lifting up the right corner of the mattress. A set of keys was stashed there. Only she knew what it went to, aside from Kai.

She then padded silently past Hilary's room - though Hilary was not home, instead sleeping at Tyson's, as well as her aunt's room. The woman did not stir in the slightest as she took on the stairs, remaining as silent as Kai Hiwatari himself when sneaking out. The cold night air greeted her as she shut the door to what was her current home.

Taking the truck would have been too noisy, so instead, she walked at a brisk pace, knowing exactly where she was headed.

The cold, iron bars of the Hiwatari Mansion gates stared at her with the stone face of Voltaire Hiwatari himself. She knew perfectly well that the place was abandoned, and the creepy, haunted house aura surrounded her. She hit the keypad installed beside the mansion quickly, not bothering to flinch as the gates squeaked open. Every once and a while, a butler - one of Kai's personal ones, mind you - would go and check the premesis after hours to make sure no one was tresspassing, so no one asked questions.

Audrey walked quickly to the mansion's doors, using the keys retrieved from beneath their mattress to open it. The doors squeaked open, only to reveal a blackness associated with frightening images. She was not afraid however, because the worst of fates had already happened to her. She would not be afraid of much as of now.

Groping in the dark, she finally reached a light switch and shut the door behind her. The house was immaculate, though every curtain was drawn, and it looked to her as if it were a gothic masterpiece. However, there was not much that she needed here.

She remembered what Kai had told her, in case anything bad was to happen. With Voltaire locked up, no one else knew that he owned this place, and no one could get in it anyway. There were things here that stayed locked up for both the safety of others and for times when they were needed.

Boarding the staircase on her left, she followed it's curving pattern, noticing spatters of blood-stains upon the floor. Without thinking, she knew they were Kai's. His youngest days had been spent here, under his grandfather's supervision.

She noticed the second door on the right, the one Kai had told her to go into. Picking up the second key on the ring, she slid it into the doorknob, turning it to get the door's handle to turn simultaneously.

When she saw what lay inside the room, she gasped. She had thought it would be Kai's room. However, it was not. This room belonged to someone else.

The name on the desk read this: Alexander Hiwatari.

Blood stained the floor in this room as well. A larger puddle of blood than she realized should have been spilt from a human being. She knew it was not Kai's this time. Pictures remained scattered upon the ground, many of them cracked down the center.

Dust was thick in this room, and it was obvious that no one had been inside it for a great while. Everything else in the house appeared to be spotless and dust free.

She had no idea what she was looking for, but she knew she would know, if she knew Kai, when she found it.

The desk drawers were all shut, and she took a moment gazing at what lay upon the desk before opening it. The picture upon it had been of a younger Kai, with a beautiful young woman that looked a lot like him, especially in the eyes. It had to have been his mother. The idea of it, especially in knowing how the story ended, made tears sting her eyes. She blinked them away, sliding the thin, long drawer of the dresser open.

Inside laid a vanilla-colored letter, sealed with an age-old wax seal. She slit this seal, careful not to damage the wax's emblem of the Hiwatari household.

When she opened it, she noted handwriting the equivalent to Kai's, but the paper felt oddly old. This was not Kai's writing, she realized as she began to read.

_Beloved -_

_If you are reading this, then you are truly a friend. You are someone who knows the curse our family is under. This curse can only be broken by one who truly loves one of our own. Though I know that my time waxes thin, you who reads this now knows: Time waits for no being. You must fight for whatever you believe in, and you must not be afraid to risk everything for the sake of everything itself._

_Our family has been plagued by darkness. In reading this, you have acquired the task of a Hiwatari: to rid the darkness that outlines the memory of our family. You must remember, dear friend, that you have allies among you. Suzaku will be there to help you. You must have only the truest intentions. Only a true Hiwatari will be able to use her guiding light._

_If you are the one, then may God be with you._

_Please, I beg of you, protect my son, Mikhail._

_In reading this, you are now one of our own. The love that I have for my son and those who love him knows no bounds, whether I be in this world or the one that lies beyond it._

_For the darkness in this world may possess great power, but the light of the pure shall always overcome. I pray that you may be that light. Break the curse and free my son - and all those who come after him._

_All my love,_

_Alexander Dmitri Hiwatari_

Tears spilt from her eyes. Alexander Hiwatari must have known that he was to die. She gently took the letter and placed it inside her bag, in the side zipper pocket where no pain would befall it. The only other item in that pocket was Dranzer's bit chip, which twinkled to her, reflecting her feelings.

She looked once more around the room, in case this - this Suzaku that Alexander spoke of lingered nearby. Instead, however, she found a golden chain, clasped together, but broken in the middle into two equal pieces. She picked it up, examining it. Something had been attached to it. On either end lingered a smaller circular form, perhaps a clasp. Perhaps, the necklace was not broken at all.

From in her purse, Dranzer's bit chip glimmered a bright crimson color. She pulled out the mighty phoenix's bit chip, pushing it beside the necklace. In a flash of light, the bit chip became attached to the necklace. She sighed, unclasping the main clasp, only to reattach the ends of the chain behind her back.

"Well, Alexander," She whispered, " _Father_, I will do whatever I can."

Wordlessly, she slipped from the room, taking in everything within it one last time. She would not return to this room until Kai was with her once more. She now knew why Kai would not step foot in it, despite what he had told her to do in case of emergency.

No one wished to step into the room where their father had been murdered.

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At the tender age of ten, Mikhail Alexander Hiwatari stood before his pale father.

"D-Dad, what's going on?"

"I'm going to be leaving soon, Son," he said quietly, his words formed between quivering lips as he held his arms around his body. Voltaire Hiwatari had just left, with every intention of returning at any time to finish what he had started. "And I wanted to tell you something."

The son nodded, confused. Why was his father's room so messy? There were items strewn everywhere, and it looked as though there was blood on some of the furniture.

"Kai, someday, you will find someone you trust completely - with all your heart and soul. Promise me, someday, that you will tell that person-" He broke off.

"Tell them what?"

"Tell them to come in this room, no matter how much you may fear it." His voice became strangely steady, despite the pained tone he now sported. "Tell that person to read the letter I have left them here. They will know what to do, then, if you ever get into trouble."

"What do you mean?"

The sound of loud footsteps echoed from the hallway. "Get out of here, Kai. Please. Just do as I ask you."

"Yes Dad."

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Kai Hiwatari jolted awake with a start. It was a strange dream to have, considering the circumstances. Perhaps Audrey would read that letter, though he would never step foot into this room. He had no idea where it would be anyway, so he doubted that it would be of much use. With a sigh, he touched his cheeks in the location where his triangle-shapped makings would be if he had the appropriate face paint. His father had left him, left him all alone with Voltaire.

Even if it was never his father's fault.

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Notes: Wow, that became very... serious and somber very quickly. Hopefully you enjoyed it, and I hope that you'll review. I'm leaving tonight and I won't be back until at least Monday... school starts Wednesday. So... I expect LOTS of reviews when I get back, or else no new chapter for you.

Love Y'all!

Distant Storm


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer goes HERE.

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Hilary nudged her cousin gently. The girl, obviously shaken out of whatever daydream she was previously in, looked at her curiously.

"Yeah, Hil?" She asked, a hint of tiredness on her voice.

The beyblading brunette looked at her cousin worriedly. "Mom says you snuck out last night."

AJ yawned. "Oh yeah? She was asleep when I left." The girl propped her head up on her arm. "And I might be doing it again tonight, if I get some sleep before then."

"Were you up all night?" The girl asked, concerned.

"Pretty much, I did sleep a little bit before dawn, but sleep isn't as easy to come by." Her unused hand went to her necklace, gingerly touching the phoenix's bit. It seemed to warm up slightly at her touch, like a greeting of sorts.

"Wait... why are you sneaking out? Mom would let you do whatever it is in broad daylight."

"No one needs to know what I'm doing Hil," AJ retorted. "It's really important that no one knows."

"You do know that we'll be following you like hounds now, right?"

Max Tate's sugary - and yet sincere - smile resonated like sunlight throughout the room. AJ shrugged nonchalantly, retrieved her bag and went toward the staircase leading to her room. "I need some sleep."

Once she left the room, Max's smile changed to a frown. "There's something wrong with her."

Hilary nodded, looking to Tyson, who had come in beside Max. "I know, but she won't tell me... or anybody."

"Yeah, but she'll come around eventually. That Kai-complex is starting to catch up with her." Tyson wrapped an arm around Hilary. "Don't worry. AJ's a tough cookie. You and I know she's gonna be okay."

From the top of the stairs, AJ looked down. In the pit of her stomach, she knew that eventually would be the case, but she had a few other issues to take care of.

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She pulled up at the BBA's office building right before closing time the next day. She knew that Dickenson would not be there, and she quite honestly was grateful that he was not. The secretary, who knew her immediately, told her the information she already knew, but AJ just gracefully explained that she had something to leave for the chairman before she went home.

The letter was left upon his desk. She placed it upon the stack of paperwork he would be facing in the morning. If no action was taken, she knew it would be too late. It was so sad that her reign would never last as long as she wanted it to, but there were other things that meant more.

She dropped her head as she left, not knowing when she'd be given the opportunity to return to that place - if ever.

Arigatou, she whispered mentally upon leaving. For everything, she added as an afterthought.

The her keys were pushed into the ignition and she sped off, seatbelt undone. For once in her life, it might actually be safer otherwise. As she rounded a corner, she gazed at her bag. Last night, she had brought a few things over to the Hiwatari mansion. Things she wanted no one to ever find.

"Please forgive me, my friends," She whispered aloud, as she pulled onto the bridge overlooking their usual practice spot.

Their river-side training location was desolate at the dinner hour, all the kids having gone home to their families. Tears formed on the corner of her eyes as she thought it through. Everything had been planned out. Everything would be okay.

Soon, she told herself. Soon it would be okay.

No thoughts crossed her mind as she hit the gas and cut the wheel sharply to the right.

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Hilary stared at the wreckage, her eyes darting this way and that, trying desperately to take it all in. "No," She pleaded silently with the powers that be, dropping to her knees. "NO!" She fell to the ground sobbing. She had merely went out to look for her cousin, since the girl never mentioned anything about missing dinner.

The brunette never expected to find what she had.

Rescue crews rushed around furiously, trying to bring the vehicle out of the water in one piece. The truck's doors were open, and no one was inside. The front end of the truck was smashed, most likely having made the large hole in the concrete where it had gone over the bridge's edge and into the rushing river. The front end had been wedged into the bottom of the river, and they were just bringing it up now.

Wordlessly, the girl drew out her cell phone and approached the rescue workers.

"Did you find-"

The workers she approached shook their heads. "Surviving a fall like that is almost impossible. No one saw it happen," The man said softly. "And there was no one else involved. The driver must have lost control of their vehicle.

"The driver," Hilary said through sobs, "That... she's my c-cousin. AJ Carson."

The crew looked at each other. "My God," They said. "The World Champion."

Hilary looked over the edge at the damage. _Surviving a fall like that is almost impossible_... The words echoed in her mind. She flipped open her cell phone, dialing her mother first.

"M-mom?" There was a brief pause in which Carolyn immediately knew that something was up. "C-can you please c-come and get me? AJ- AJ just-" There was another pause. "She went over the bridge, Mom," The girl cried. She fell to her knees again, hanging up the phone moments later. "My mother's on her way," She said, summoning unknown strength in her words. "I- I have to go tell my friends," She said, almost in a daze.

Before any of the workers had the time to respond, she had taken off in a sprint, completely contradicting what she had told her mother.

Moments later, she had arrived at the Granger Dojo, not bothering to remove her shoes, as per Grandpa's request. The 'fly-dude' came after her in a flash.

"Hey, Home-girl, why're you wearing your- Hilary? What happened?" The man's lingo had instantaneously changed. "TYSON!"

She was completely incoherent, unable to string together anything but tears. Ray and Max immediately came flying into the room, while Kenny, Tyson, and Daichi came from the outside. Hiro poked his head out of his room.

"Hil," Tyson said slowly. "What happened?"

The brunette looked up at her boyfriend, her eyes puffy and red, their ruby pools nothing short of anguished sadness. "AJ," She said, not having the heart to say much else.

"What happened to AJ?" Ray asked, immediately sensing something very wrong with the situation. His senses as a Neko-Jin heightened dangerously.

Max looked at Ray, whose eyes had widened considerably. "Ray?" Max asked, fright taking over.

"She's gone," Hilary finally strung together. "The bridge - she... the river..." Tyson hugged the girl as tight as humanly possible.

"Grandpa, call Hil's mom. Tell her I've got Hilary with me. Max, Ray, go to the bridge."

Tears welled in Hiro's eyes as he stepped out of his room. "I'm going with you," He said gently. "I'll call Dickenson."

"Don't worry about that for now," Grandpa said softly. "You take care of Carolyn. It will be all over the news."

The three boys took off, leaving Kenny, Daichi and Tyson to console the crying brunette. "Did they find her?" Kenny asked quietly.

Hilary raised her head, looking at the Chief, before shaking her head horizontally. Her head then drooped onto her boyfriend's shoulder. "Why didn't we see it?" She wailed a moment later. "Why didn't I see?"

"It was just an accident," Grandpa said softly. "She's smarter than that. She wouldn't-"

"She's been sneaking around for days," Tyson said softly. "Especially at night. She stopped talking to us about what was bothering her-"

"She would not commit suicide-"

The inner shoji, the one that opened to the kitchen of the Granger dojo, flew open, Stanley Dickenson standing behind it in complete confusion. "Did you know she did this?"

Mr. Granger stood up, walking away from the kids. "Did what?"

"AJ Carson left me a letter on my desk. I happened to forget some files, and I found this atop them." He sighed, showing the old man the letter. "She resigned her title and duties as World Champion."

Tyson's Grandfather's mouth dropped, before he looked back at the kids in the doorway between the livingroom and kitchen. "It can't be..."

Mr. Dickenson gave the man a strange look. "What is going on here?" The short man peered around the corner, noting the distressed teen. "Hilary, what happened?"

"You better sit down," The white-haired kendo master said. "If what you've told me is true, Audrey Carson just commited suicide."

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It had started out as a typical morning in their prison. Kai opened his eyes and blinked at the dark colored walls. They had showered the day before, lucky for them. However their time to get clean had been drastically reduced.

A smirk adorned the multitude of suited men that passed by them. Only one, regarded them differently this day. Rex, their usual punisher and personal devil, gave the Carson duo a regretful glance, full of sorrow.

Matthew and Rose looked at Kai curiously, but not even the phoenix had an idea as to the reason why their tormentor suddenly had a different manorism towards them. It was early, nearly ten in the morning here, as Kai gathered from the digital wrist watch upon one of the men's wrist.

However, things had suddenly changed. There was a great cackle from down the hallway. They watched as Rex turned on his heel.

"Come here, Rex," The emerald-haired man said to the chocolate skinned man. The bulky guard did as told, quickly resorting back to his usual sneer as he paced toward his boss.

"Sir?" He asked quietly.

"It seems as though the world of beyblading is without another champion this morning." He cleared his throat, drawing out a newspaper from behind him. "Or evening, as it is in Japan."

"What?" Matthew Carson looked up at the man. "What happened?"

The man smirked. "She hadn't even needed our provoking. It seems as though rescue workers found this-" The man threw two sets of pictures, one set into each cell. "Well, you'll see. It was a terrible _accident._" The man said, throwing the newspaper at Kai's cell. The boy reached out and grabbed it.

Instantly, his eyes widened and he dropped the bundle of paper from his hands.

The headline upon the London Post was clear:

_World Champion Audrey "AJ" Carson Commits Suicide._

"Please no," Rose whispered, clasping her hands over her heart before errupting into sobs. "My baby. _My baby!_"

Matthew's eyes glimmered with tears as he held his wife close. However, his eyes landed upon a different target.

Kai stared regretfully into space, seeing no one or nothing before him. Never before had they seen Kai cry, but tears poured from his amythst orbs, stopping for nothing. He said nothing, instead clutching the beyblade he had kept close to his heart.

"Son," Matthew said softly.

The champion continued to stare into space.

"You know she loves you," The man said softly. "No matter where she may be."

Almost like a detonation from a bomb, Kai promptly exploded, throwing the pictures and newspaper everywhere. He did not want to see them. He did not want to know. He did not want to think. He wanted _his_ girlfriend, _his_ Syao-Ai. He wanted her now.

And if it was not for the two parents of said lover, crying over the same loss that he was now grieving about, he would slit his throat with the beyblade she had made for him.

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Silently, she removed herself from the rushing waters. The current was indeed fast, but she had timed the event perfectly. Her bag - one of few she possessed that had waterproof capabilities - floated near her, brought in toward the rocky shore. She looked at it, wiped some of the blood from her scratched knee upon it, then proceeded to chuck it toward the lake that the river emptied into.

It landed with a splash behind her, and she continued toward land, stripping herself of her shoes and tattered shirt in the shallow waters. Both had stains of blood from her knee, as well as a small cut on her chest, though neither were truly horrible. She walked carefuly onto the rocks, grateful that the waves washed over all the rocks. Between the water and the fact that it was dark, no one would be able to guess her location.

Continuing onward, she followed the shore, which was lined with iron fences. Upon reaching the one she had intended upon entering, she immediately hit the ground, shimmying underneath the back gate. Her slender figure just barely had clearance, and if she were any bigger, she was afraid that she would have had to go over. If that was the case, she would have definitely been caught. With her luck something would have gotten torn upon the top of the gate.

Lucky enough, she had remembered to shut down the security monitoring the premesis of the Hiwatari mansion, or else she would have been captured by the cops instantly. With great stealth, she entered through the back door of the Hiwatari mansion, grateful that she had left it unlocked as well.

In only her underclothes and jeans, she padded through the kitchen, ploping herself upon a black cushioned chair before a large-screen tv.

_"This evening on News Live, we regret to inform you that the World Champion of Beyblading has passed on. Our sources report that within the hour of renouncing her title as Champion, Miss Audrey "AJ" Carson has committed suicide, shocking both her friends and relatives. Word still has yet to come about the fate of her parents, who were kidnapped last month. Investigators say that both Rose and Matthew Carson were kidnapped along with Kai Hiwatari at the house of BBA Revolution team member Hilary Tatibana. Word is just coming in now about the car used for the crash."_

An image of the water-logged blue truck filled the screen.

_"This car is registered in the name of Kai Hiwatari, meaning that it was either stolen, or there was some type of relationship between the two champions. We'll keep you posted with more late-breaking news as it comes in. Until then, keep watching News Live!"_

AJ shut off the television, not exactly interested. So what if everyone found out about her and Kai? It didn't matter if she was 'dead,' right?

She shrugged. Like she said, soon, everything would be okay.

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**Author's notes:** Sorry for making you wait so long with no update. This is the first day in a week that I have not been swamped in one way or another with homework and such. I have other chapters done, so review and I shall put up the next chapter as soon as it is requested.

Love you all and thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer goes HERE.

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Once and a while, he wondered. He wondered that if this were to happen when he was with his friends, if he would have reacted the same way. Never before could a person say that Kai Hiwatari was broken, but now, as the boy laid on his side, facing the wall of his cell, resfusing to move, one could say that this was the case.

Meanwhile, across the way, the two Carsons tried desperately - to no avail - to convince Kai to talk to them. The fact of the matter was that Kai would not budge. He was still difficult as ever, and perhaps even more so at this point.

Rose bit her lip and closed her eyes, tearstains still on her face. They had lost one child, and they would be damned if they lost another. For a while, she stayed silent, listening to the shallow breathing of the boy and the heartbeat of her husband beside her.

They had been struck blindly in learning that their daughter had killed herself. None of them thought that their situation was truly that bad. It was not good, but there was no need to kill oneself, ever.

Each day following, their true captor, whose name they knew not, along with a man called 'One' would step between the two cells and gloat. While it was like throwing salt in to a fresh wound, they prayed it would awaken Kai at some point.

"Please Kai, say something," She said softly. A soft sniffle indicated that she had his attention. Rose spoke. "I-"

Her husband covered her mouth quietly. "Son, did you plan on marrying our daughter?"

Rose glanced delicately at her husband, though shock adorned her features. Truthfully, she had never even thought about that. She remembered what AJ had done with her ring, but that did not mean that he was going to pop the question anyday.

Kai sighed and rolled over. His tears had subsided, though the after-effects: puffy eyes, tearstains, and a mild case of the hiccups had set in. "Over the holidays," He said quietly.

Silence overcame them for a moment. "You'd have our blessing, Kai. You're a part of our family. You've been, but even without her, that invitation is still there."

The Russian champion said nothing for a moment. And then, "I just don't get it."

"I know," Rose whispered. "She was never the type. But the papers..."

"I wish they were wrong."

"As do we," The adults agreed.

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It was the epidomy of ironic. Here she stood, beneath the sakura trees, letting the light fragrance of their blossoms surround her. People gathered before her, facing toward the front of what looked like a podium. Many had tears decorating their faces, others had somber, withdrawn expressions.

She found herself gazing at the many candles and photos beside the podium. None of them included Kai, and somehow, a story had been made up to cover their relationship. Audrey Carson sighed, looking at her black attire. It was horribly depressing, really.

News reporters gathered like the plague, though a tearful Stanley Dickenson shooed them away with his most business-like glare. It was intended that the news would receive the story later about the memorial service.

She bit back a sadistic laugh. What fun it was, to be at her own memorial service, alive and in the flesh.

Had no one put together the pieces? A few people - mainly rescue workers - had announced that there was no way for her to have survived. So what? She was no ordinary person. She was - and that's just it, _was_ - a world champion. She was powerful. Not to mention that she just randomly possessed both Dranzer and Viatsu. Had no one thouht of that?

"Alright," Tyson said softly, walking up to the podium. Although it was difficult, the boy said a few words, focusing on the positives: How AJ loved everyone, fought bravely for everything, and feared no one and nothing. No one touched on the 'suicide' point, she noted, as he and his team mates concluded their speeches, being champions themselves. Roses were thrown upon the ground beside the candles and pictures, as they would have been thrown in her coffin, had they found a body.

Mr. Dickenson spoke through tears. Her Aunt said a few words, mostly about how much she loved AJ as if she were her own, before beckoning Hilary to the podium. Tears poured generously from her cheeks.

Tyson accompanied Hilary to the podium, where their small group - plus the scathes of paparazzi members - waited patiently for her to find the words she wished to say.

"Aud," She began softly, knowing that was what Kai typically called her, "Audrey was a wonderful person, a great friend and teacher; I remember going to live with her for a summer and coming back to Japan with a victory against Tyson under my belt." The group laughed gently as Tyson blushed. "She was a beatiful woman, an amazing cousin, and a whole-hearted lover..." She trailed off, leaving the paparazzi to question her words with curious stares, "And-"

In the back of the crowd, AJ smirked. Hilary would never blow her in about Kai. Hil knew better, and AJ knew better than to trust her group of dim-wittted beyblading friends to know what was going on. Wordlessly, she shifted her shoulders, so that she no longer leaned against one of the cherry-blossom trees. Meanwhile, her left hand moved up to her aviator sun-glasses.

"And-"

Despite the stuttering and lack of words, Hilary found herself staring out at the gathering with no amount of stage fright. She merely had trouble picking out what she wanted to say. She gazed toward the back of their group, noticing a woman who had been there from the very beginning. Her hair was long, the color undefinable thanks to a number of highlights, and her form was covered in a long black coat and dress pants, despite the slightly warm temperature. Gold rimmed sunglasses adorned her face; the pinkish-amber lenses providing a well needed splash of color to her face.

Audrey linked eyes with Hilary from behind her sunglasses, before using her left hand to slip them down, so her eyes were visible.

"She-"

Apparently, the former champion realized, her glares were lethal. Her poor cousin had promptly fainted upon direct eye contact. Tyson had caught her gingerly before she hit the ground, and while the mob of gatherers rushed forward to make sure the girl was alright, AJ took the opportunity to leave.

Step two of her plan had been initiated, but in order to move on, she had to figure out where exactly she was headed.

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The Hiwatari Manson was quite the production, overall. While she had stocked up on all the necessities of food she could possibly ever need, she realized that amongst the corridors, there were other things she could use.

For example, there was a computer room, with a large-screen monitor, like the ones used for displaying battles outside the BBA's Bakuten Arena. Her eyes enlarged as she realized that the manframe - yes, the Hiwatari Industries, aka B.I.O.V.O.L.T. manframe - was still online.

She wriggled her fingers. This would be fun...

And hey, look, she didn't even have to break any firewalls to get in. Looks like it's her lucky day. She kicked back in the leather chair, well aware that Voltaire Hiwatari had used it last. "Well, well, well... I never thought the bastard would actually be able to help me out."

She typed into the computer, stopping only a few times to read the large screen's data.

A mechanical voice prompted her. _"Voice command activated. State search subject."_

Hmm, she thought. What should she say? A second later, she locked in on it. "Search bit beast seeking affilates."

A long list of people's names stretched across the screen. None of the names had she heard of before, though according to the legend aside the list, the ones underlined had a hand in B.I.O.V.O.L.T.'s activities. The others - ones with lines through it, were ones under the heading _Terminated_. She shrugged, figuring that her boyfriend's grandfather had attained all the bit beast seeking glory he had ever wanted before getting arrested.

"Search current news related to beyblading."

The computer beeped once, before a brand new list, much like one she would have found upon any search engine, appeared. She scanned it. Not much was going on that didn't relate to either herself, Kai, or her parents.

Well, there were no criminal reports, only paparazzi reports or memorial articles. Shrugging, she decided that a new direction might hold some possibilities.

"Search Carson Enterprises."

Another beep, followed by an official web site, as well as a few news headlines provided everything she needed to get the ball rolling.

"Bingo."

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Hilary laid, yet again, upon the couch in her living room, however this time she found herself breathing into a paper bag. In-between puffs, she glanced at her boyfriend, who stood before her. He paced across the white carpeting as if he were going to dig a trench in it.

"Tyson, chill out, you're making me nervous," Daichi said, sprawled out on the floor. "Anyway, Old Lady, why'd ya faint? Somethin' musta freaked ya out."

"Daichi-" Tyson began, but Hilary shut him up by scrumpling up the paper bag and throwing it at him.

She took a deep breath and sat up. "I don't think she killed herself."

Max looked frightfully at Ray, who had since taken over all motherly duties, as well as those of Kai. After all, the group looked to the neko-jin, the oldest aside from Kai, to keep them in line. "Hil..." Ray began carefully. He looked pointedly at Tyson.

"Hil," Tyson said gently, looking at the curious brunette who regarded them with wide eyes, "You saw what happened. The rescue workers said that even if she did survive landing in the river, the current would have carried her into the lake. They didn't find any footprints and the water made them lose her scent. There's no way she's alive."

"I saw her, damn it!" Hilary said, desperately trying not to hyperventalate - again. "She looked right at me during the memorial service. She was wearing all black and her aviators. She pulled down her glasses and I saw her eyes! I swear, Tys! I swear it was her! I saw her!"

Ray sat down beside her. "Hilary, calm down." The brunette took a few shaky breaths. "It isn't like AJ not to be in contact with us."

The monkey-child suddenly found use of his mouth. "Maybe she planned it."

There was silence.

This silence was broken almost a milisecond later, when Kenny began typing furiously upon Dizzi's keyboard. Obviously the genius's brain had picked up a lead the rest of theirs had not. "What if," the tech-wizard said quickly, "What if she planned it thinking that whoever took Kai and her parents would lower their guard?"

"That would make a lotta sense, Kenny," Hilary said, beaming. "See, I told you!" She gloated.

"Now, now," The chief said, typing incredibly fast. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Hilary. I never said she was alive. If she was, where would she be staying? There's nowhere around here where she wouldn't be recognized. As you said, as soon as she took off her glasses, you knew who she was.

Ray suddenly grasped another idea. "Are there any pictures from the service? Of the crowd, I mean."

"Yeah," Hilary said, taking off toward the kitchen. "Here," she said, huffing, a moment later. "These are the ones I've got."

The tiger nodded, scanning them. His eyes seemed to go out of focus, and it seemed to the rest of them that he was zooming in and out, deciphering faces. After going through four of five pictures, he handed one to the Chief. "Kenny, can you zoom in this one, please?"

Dizzi made a few grumbles about having to work after being so viciously typed upon, but focused the web-camera upon the image. Moments later, it appeared upon her monitor. Kenny took instructions from the Neko-Jin, cropping and zooming the image in with amazing clarity.

"That's her," Ray said victoriously. "Right Hil?"

Hilary gawked at the image. "That's the girl who looked at me."

"Kenny," Max said, getting a good glimpse, "Can you zoom in on her face?" The Chief did as asked. "Got her." Max smirked. "Tyson, come here."

The blunette peered over Kenny's shoulder. "Wow," the champion said. "Okay, so that's her. Where do we find her?"

"Where would you go if you didn't want to be found?"

"Over a bridge?" Daichi asked.

Hilary rolled her eyes. "No, you dolt."

"Wait," Tyson said, obviously racking his brain - a rather painful experience for him - "Didn't Kai's granfather have a place around here?"

"Everything he had belongs to Kai -"

"And everything of Kai's belongs to AJ. There you have it," Hilary said with a smirk. "Do you know where it is?"

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Although it still felt a bit creepy around the edges, the mansion screamed of Kai. She had no problem sleeping at night, since the pillows held a ghostly touch of her beloved. She stretched, looking at the clock in the bedroom. It was nearly noon, and she knew she'd have to do something today.

A shower sounded nice.

Knowing that no one would be around, she stripped, rummaging through the bags of clothes she had bought with Kai's credit card the other day to find something suitable. Settling on a pair of jeans and a regular - red - tee, she headed toward the bathroom, making a single stop on the way.

Thank God for soundproofed walls, because she liked her music LOUD.

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They snuck in silently, having crawled beneath the large gates. Luckily, the security had been shut off for whatever reason. They stayed quiet until they came to the front door. It slid open with a creak, but the loud music inside the huge mansion covered the sound.

"This is definitely some music she likes. Who the heck else would play loud rock music in a gothic-ish victoria-styled mansion?" Hilary said quietly.

After a few minutes of searching, they found their way to a large-sized kitchen, whose light was on. There were papers as well as a few empty bags of groceries.

"Hey," Ray said, nearly having to yell over the music, "Who's this?"

The gathered around the Neko-Jin, gazing at a crazed-looking man with greenish-black hair.

"As of last Tuesday, following the death of Miss Audrey Carson, as well as the disappearance of the two CEOs of Carson Enterprises, the board of directors has elected a temporary leader, the business savvy Gregory Morrison. According to sources, the man had been attempting to form a partnership with Rose and Matthew Carson, directly before their abduction. It was said that a meeting had been scheduled.

"Morrison states that the London C.E. building will serve as headquarters until the two Carsons return to take control of their company. Meanwhile, he plans on employing an envoy of men to search for the two missing CEOs later this month. As far as other plans, Morrison says that he will be planning on endorsing many smaller businesses to recover from the profit loss over the past month and a half.

"'I believe that action must be taken," Morrison stated last week. "With the tragic loss of the Carson's heiress, we believe that we must act quickly to preserve the legacy left behind by her beloved parents."

'"Beyond this, Morrison has already merged his small company with the Enterprise, saying that their technology with bit beasts will help the Carsons' profoundly. Morrison's business involved the usage of enhanced bit beasts to help with trauma therapy and recovery, though he says that his search for one creature in particular would help his propositions exponentially.

"Morrison has been in the business world for twelve years, all of which he has dedicated his time to helping others. 'It will be a refreshing experience,' he states, 'Helping others with his own ideas while continuing those and endorsing the many hospitals that the Carson legacy began with.'

The group gazed at the picture.

Hilary shook her head. "Something seems off about that guy."

"I agree," Kenny said. "I don't like the look in his eyes."

Nodding ensued by the rest of the team. Tyson smirked. "So the rest of these papers, what are they?"

"They all say B.I.O.V.O.L.T. on them," Max said, while Kenny scanned them.

"They've been retreived from some sort of mainframe, and judging by the folder, this stuff over here," The chief pointed to a folder, "Looks like its some private file of Voltaire's."

"If AJ's here, why would she go through Voltaire's mainframe?"

No one knew the answer to that. Apparently, in their thoughts, they had never realized that the music had stopped.

"Excuse me," A voice bellowed - feminine in tone - "I don't appreciate people meddling in my business. What the hell are you doing here?"

The group turned and stared, all in shock. The commanding form of a rather angry Audrey Carson came toward them, her launcher out with her beyblade attached and at the ready.

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Hilary literally clung to her cousin, tears pouring down her face. Almost a moment later, she snapped out of it, reprimanding the older teen as if she were Tyson.

"You dolt! Why didn't you tell us you were planning that?"

The calm form of Audrey Carson lingered at the papers they had just rummaged through. "If I did a thing like that, someone - like Tyson - would have told everyone. Not on purpose, but who wants to see their family suffer? _No one_, and I mean _no one_ can know about this. Just you guys. If that Morrison guy finds out too soon, we might have a problem on our hands."

"What does he have to do with anything?"

Audrey smirked. "Everything."

"And that's cryptic. We aren't Kai, we don't understand that talk," Tyson said.

Ray laughed. "Maybe you don't, but I'm sure Kenny and I do. He's the guy that took over your parents' company, right?"

The group nodded.

"If he's working with bit beasts, I know my parents would have never wanted to work with him. They don't want to get involved with that type of therapy he raves about. While beyblading is good for you, they merely endorse the B.B.A. and provide sponsorships and scholarships. Otherwise, they're a medical physility that focuses on nothing related to beyblading whatsoever."

"So you think-"

"But wouldn't the board of directors disapprove this action, if it wasn't what your parents wanted?" Kenny asked.

"Typically," The ex-champion said, hugging one of the pillows from the living room in her lap. "But if everyone that once ran the company is mia, and the only person to succeed those people - not that I want to and my parents know that - is dead, they'll do anything to bring the dropping profit rates back up."

"So where does this involve your parents?"

"Bit beasts."

"And why does this have anything to do with you?"

"Yeah!" Max said, his blue-green eyes a bit brighter now that he knew she was alive. "What's the deal with you having to 'die?'"

The youngest of the Carsons shrugged. "He would never have taken over unless I was dead, seeing as my parents have instilled the same beliefs in me about the company. When they die, I'm supposed to pick a successor, and then remove myself completely. If I'm not alive, the board can select a person. Meanwhile, I think you and I both know that someone with bit beast related materials in a medical-related company - mind you, they focus very little on therapy, much less bit beast related therapy - is a bad idea.

"So," Kenny said, "If you were out of the picture, you figured that the person responsible for the kidnapping would show up?"

"Yeppers," She said smoothly.

The group seemed to accept this, though Tyson was a bit skeptical. "Do you think that maybe they were just after your parents' company, and not Viatsu? Maybe this Morrison guy wanted you out of the picture so he could have a successful corporate takeover."

Casually, the American female stood up, and walked to the counter, gathering the papers. She took the folder, one with a rather vicious looking B.I.O.V.O.L.T. label atop it, along with the name Morrison, Gregory on it. Returning to the couch, she threw the papers on the floor, where they sat huddled around her.

"According to what Voltaire says about this guy, he's crazy. And not just like Voltaire crazy, since Voltaire Hiwatari is a raving lunatic in some insane-asylum-slash-prison somewhere." She took a breath. "He did an analysis on all of the smaller companies with affiliations to Hiwatari Enterprises, AKA B.I.O.V.O.L.T., so I swiped this from the unlocked mainframe down the north wing."

"You hacked into the mainframe?" Kenny asked.

The group smiled, laughing gently at the computer-geek. "When I'm done briefing you guys, I'll let you have a good look at it."

The Chief was whole-heartedly satisfied with this, and their attention returned on AJ.

"So, anyway, the analysis concluded that this guy has a fettish with certain bit beasts. All of them have one thing in common: Their green color. Initially, a few years ago, he was quite interested in Draciel. When Boris Balkov's Demolition Boys stole him from you Max, they planned on using his power to improve Black Dranzer, then give what was left of him to Morrison to genetically enhance, or 'induce evolution.' Voltaire thought this was insane, and then Tyson destroyed Tala, so they never had the chance to worry about that."

"Now you think he wants Viatsu," Ray said.

She nodded. "That's my guess, since now that I'm dead, they're sending out search teams to look for my parents. I doubt that he's looking for them at all."

Kenny figured it out. "You think he's sending that envoy to find Viatsu, don't you?"

"I do."

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Notes: Okay, a big information chapter, but at least AJ's back with the group. Next chapter, we'll check back in with Kai and the Carsons, then we'll find out just what the gang back in Japan is planning to do. You can garauntee it will be big, especially since they're working with a 'dead' person.

Hopefully the next update won't be so long in coming. I'm up to the mid-way of chapter ten right now, I've just been so busy that I've forgotten to post! Thanks for sticking with me though!

Reviews are appreciated, though you reading is awesome too!

Thanks and hope you enjoyed it!

Love ya!

Distant Storm


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer goes right HERE.

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"That is proposterous! I will _not_ allow it!"

The G-Revolutions, commonly called Team BBA, sat in Mr. Dickenson's office. There was an akward silence in which the tone from the man's previous statement echoed like the crack of a whip. He sighed, not regretting the outburst, but he was none to happy about it either.

"Mr. Dickenson," Hilary said quiety, knowing Tyson's outburst a moment before was anything but helpful. "We're going to go to the Miami headquarters, whether you like it or not. We'll be leaving within the next few weeks, and it isn't like we don't have the money."

He sighed. "I can't possibly approve of you snooping around. I've met Mr. Morrison before, if that's what you're getting at. He's a very nice man, and he's given generous amounts of money to many beyblading organizations."

From the far side of the room, Ray shrugged. "That has nothing to do with it, Mr. D. Whether he's a nice guy or completely nasty, that has nothing to do with it. Hilary said that her aunt and uncle never wanted to get their business intertwined with beyblade. They explained to her that it was like business and pleasure, and they never wanted to get bit beasts involved. Do you have any idea what they've got brewing?"

"Genetically enhanced bit beasts, Ray. They're using them to help therapy patients, and if Rose and Matthew were here right now, I'm sure they'd already be working together."

Tyson rolled his eyes and plunked a file on the CEO's desk. It was a color copy of the B.I.O.V.O.L.T. file, in a manilla envelope in stead of the corresponding file.

"How- how did you get this?" Dickenson asked, frightened by the company letterhead.

Hilary shrugged. "Kenny's gifted with computers. He hacked the Hiwatari Mainframe."

"That- that's absurd!" The man dropped the papers. "I understand that you're all hurting because of the Carsons and Kai. I feel the same way you do, but pointing the blame will not allow answers to fall from the sky."

"Why the hell do you think AJ resigned?"

All eyes went straight to Hilary. "E-excuse me?" Dickenson asked, fully overwhelmed by the propositions being made in _his_ office.

"I said: Why the hell do you think AJ resigned?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"AJ severed all ties with the BBA before she committed suicide." The subject was anything but a light matter to them, especially since they had to play the part of depressed friends for at least another week or so. "Do you think that maybe she did that for a reason?"

"Where are you going with this, Hil?" Tyson asked, fully confused.

"I think I know why she killed herself, and I think this Morrison guy can give me the answers."

"I can just ask him-"

"No."

"Max?" The chaiman asked.

The blonde stood up, his eyes hardened. "I think we should take a page out of her book. Until we find Kai, and until we prove that we're right, we're done."

"Agreed," the rest of the group said simply.

It was after they left that the chairman realized what exactly had gone down in his office. Now he had a total of zero champions. How much worse could it possibly get?

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She answered her cell phone almost instantly, having paced by it for the past half an hour.

"How'd it go?"

There was a laugh. _"Perfect,"_ The Neko-Jin responded through the phone's speaker. _"He had no idea what hit him."_

"Good. I'll buy plane tickets, you'll leave a little after me. You guys explain to Hil's mom and Grandpa what's going on, keep the story the same. Just whatever you do, do _not_ let anyone know I'm alive. If this Morrison guy finds out..."

_"Don't worry, we'll leave Daichi in the car."_

"Good call and we'll rendezvous later to sort out the final details."

She hung up, smirking. So far, everything was working perfectly. If the adults all thought they were going to Miami, that word would be relayed to Morrison, who would hopefully be there to try and meet them. That way, they could find out just what was going on in London.

Maybe they could find everyone and get them out before he arrived. It would be much easier to have him arrested on the spot, as he showed up, although she figured those genetically enhanced bit beasts would probably be a ton of fun.

Of course, a sinking feeling arose in her stomach. That would not work. If she was dead, how the heck was she supposed to get out of the country? She needed fake ID, a fake Passport, oh God, she needed a whole different identity. The G-Revs planned to leave in a week, but she had no idea if she could get there within a week or not.

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"Happy two months," One said menacingly. Rose looked over at the man fleetingly, not bothering to aknowledge the statement.

Her husband clenched his fists, though his will to fight was not exactly overwhelming. He too remained silent. Both looked to Kai.

Kai's hopeless look had become one of indifference, the facade in place being collasal. No one questioned it though, for he was suddenly the Kai Hiwatari that the rest of the world saw.

"What?" One questioned, "No celebrations?" The man pulled out a key. "Fine, I suppose I'll have to force you." He immediately went to Kai's cell, unlocking the lock and pulling out a stun gun. "Let's go."

Kai smirked immediately, finding it interesting that they still pulled a stun gun on him. He wasn't planning on going anywhere, seeing as they held his late girlfriend's parents captive as well. If he left, they would surely be killed, and vice wersa. With AJ dead - he shuddered - why the hell were they still captive? To be quite honest, he just wanted to go home or die.

Even though he had no idea where that would be, currently.

One led him to a room he had seen multiple times before. His statement, weeks ago, had been extended into a contract. So that they were not harmed, Kai would take any and all punishments given. Most of the time, these punishments were doubled, making them much more difficult for him to handle.

He liked the pain though, so he kept his mouth shut. At least he felt that. The usual numbness was beginning to take over, and he felt like he was losing himself.

The room was grey in color, everything from the floor to the walls, even the ceiling was grey. In the corner of the left side of the room was a desk. There was papers scattered on top of it, and while he was getting punished, he often wondered about their contact.

As One was second in command only to the emerald-haired demon, he was permitted to punsh as he saw fit. Especially as of late, he had saw to most of the beatings handed to Kai. Not to mention the fact that his boss would never dirty his hands with such jobs.

The man smirked at Kai, as if surveying his pray. Like a snake he would lash out, typically with a whip.

"How many lashes do you think will do you justice today?"

Kai said nothing. In response, he received a lashing.

"Answer when you're spoken to."

"How many do you think it'll take to kill me?"

One's smile widened while his eyes narrowed. "Where are you going with this?"

"One less than that," The champion said, stripping himself of his tattered shirt.

There was nothing short of malicious, insane happiness dripping from his voice as he spoke.

"As you wish, Hiwatari."

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Rex, as a human being, was no longer happy with the requirements of his job. To be quite honest, he longed for a pencil-pushing office job for a London newspaper of some sort, complete with cubicle and all. His current task was less than pleasant.

At first, it had seemed like fun to watch some punk-ass kid get the snot beat out of him by someone else, especially in knowing that he was gathering evidence - and hordes of it - to arrest the blokes with. Rex had never been aware that their intent was to drive the Audrey Carson to suicide. He was a father himself, with a broken family in a small appartment in the downtown area. If his daughter - who was currently a sophomore in high school - saw what he had to deal with because of his job, well, it would kill her.

He had never felt like a heartless person, but now, staring at the body of Kai Hiwatari - a boy who was known for overcoming intense hardships - he couldn't resist the feeling. The boy had loved AJ Carson, according to Voltaire Hiwatari's phone call to his boss from prison. That was how they figured out the plan. The Boss got the information he needed to gain not only Carson Enterprises(a secret that the Carsons were _not_ to know about), but to get Audrey out of the way. The only thing his boss lacked was Viatsu, of whom he was probably searching for, at this very second.

Kai shifted on the table Rex was told to place him upon.

"Don't move or you'll hurt yourself more," The dark-skinned man said to Kai, who made no effort to respond.

Rex walked to the far side of the room, opening a cupboard to pull out gauze and antiseptic. When he turned around, Kai had very shakily proped himself upright, using his hands to keep himself in a sitting position.

"Lay back down," the henchman said, in a rather authoritive tone. Kai did as told, knowing that he stood no chance against the man in this state.

The suited man set to work on the boy's bare back, pouring antiseptic into the large gashes before dabbing the rest of the blood from them.

"How many did you have?" Rex asked.

Kai remained silent for a moment, seeing how his current oppressor would respond. When the man made no move to force him, Kai responded. "Eighty-seven."

"That's fucking absurd."

Kai looked at the man, surprise clashing with his facade. "You fucking condone it."

"And if I didn't need the money to send my daughter to college, I wouldn't."

The champion eyed the man wearily. "If it weren't for her parents, I'd slit my throat."

Rex stared at the boy again. He was obviously hurting, whether he showed it or not. The muscles in his back seemed to have small spazms as he treated the wounds of the champ's flogging. While he worked, Rex pondered what was going on. Kai Hiwatari was not known for emotions. How had he, of all people, suddenly developed such feelings for a woman that he would give up his life? Rex knew the love of a daughter and his wife.

It just seemed so difficult to understand that such a cold and seemingly ruthless kid - a punk-ass rich boy, if you will, could fall in love that hard.

"Your friends are scowering the globe," Rex said, throwing a newspaper before the boy. "They told Stanley Dickenson to go to hell and said they were taking off. There is also word of a letter, one Miss Carson wrote before her accident. She renounced her title, but the letter's contents have yet to be published, because Dickenson is afraid for the world to see it."

"Typical Dickenson," Kai said, as the man finished his work.

Rex handed Kai a different shirt, one of the same navy color, as well as his vest. "I know it doesn't mean much from me," He said with a sigh, "But I'm sorry about your girlfriend."

Kai nodded, and the man felt oddly forgiven. As the boy was led back to his cell, he also felt a renewed warmth.

Dranzer, he thought, chalking it up to the usual-

His eyes widened, and his breathing became shallow. "Holy fuck, where the hell is Dranzer?!"

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There was a loud vibrating sound upon the counter of the Hiwatari Manson's kitchen. AJ dove for the phone, the loud noise catching her off guard. Shock set in.

It couldn't be... her mind nearly froze, but she hesitantly flipped open the contraption.

"Hello?"

There was a touch of static on the other end. _"My name is Rex Banner,"_ The person on the phone said. _"I don't know who you are, but I want to help you get Kai and the Carsons back."_ He paused. _"Who is this, anyway?"_

"How should I trust you?" She retorted, her voice a bit deeper than usual in a lame attempt to conceal her identity.

_"My boss's name is Gregory Morrison. He's the temporary CEO of Carson Enterprises."_

"Alright, Rex," She began, "I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."

_"There's a trap set up in Miami for team BBA. Wait - are you Hilary?"_

"Close." AJ shrugged and decided to drop the lowsy deep voice.

_"I would like to ask you though, if you were there when the abduction occurred."_

AJ laughed bitterly. "Now I know who you are. You're the big black guy who beat up my boy-" She stopped, immediately regretting her choice of words. Yet, now that she knew who she was talking to, she was ready to walk to London and take him out herself. "Aww, hell with it. This is _my_ cell phone, as it would be.

A gasp was noted from the other end of the conversation. _"My God. You're alive. You're fucking alive. That had to have been one hell of a tight getaway."_

"Yes, as a matter of fact it was. And if you tell anyone, next time you see me, will be the last time you see anything but a hospital for the next six months." Her voice had intent, and he knew she was serious.

_"I have to tell Kai."_

His tone of voice was still incredulous, and she knew that from her first time seeing the man, he could not possibly be faking his emotions. So he was the real deal. Well, she'd have to test it out, but she'd have to figure something out eventually. It was early fall, and she wanted Kai - and her parents - back before first snowfall.

"He knows - did Morrison tell them?"

_"Yes, and they took it very hard."_

She sighed. "Alright." A deep breath, obviously one used to calm oneself was heard from AJ's end of the conversation. "Now that I think about it, can you help me out?"

The man sounded a bit relieved. _"What is it that you need?"_

"I need a passport and ID to get me to London."

_"How - how do you -"_

"I know I can trust you." She paused. "You sound an aweful lot like a cop." She broke from the subject immediately when he said nothing to deny it. "Now then, can you get me a passport? It doesn't have to look much like me, just a white brunette picture would work."

_"I can get you one."_

AJ smirked. "Good. Now, one other thing. What the hell does Morrison want from me?"

_"It's not you,"_ The man said thoughtfully. _"He's after your bit beast."_

"Why?"

She heard a sound in the background that sounded like another being. _"I'll tell you later from a more secluded area. I'm taking this number to my house, and I will call you from there."_

"Alright, Rex Banner. Thank you."

_"Now go do the profile search I'm sure your desperate to do, Miss Carson. I'll be sure to send your best regards to your family."_

"And again I thank you. You should be an undercover cop."

_"That will be covered later, as well."_

She sighed exasperatedly. "Great, now I'm working with the feds."

AJ hung up her cell phone, with almost an elated feeling. This felt right; she knew it. She had made exponential progress in faking her death. Morrison would pay for hurting her family. And well, if he wanted Viatsu, she'd be sure to give him a chance to have his ass kicked by her.

Speaking of Viatsu, as of late, the bit beast suddenly reacted differently to daily occurrances. Although AJ had hightened senses - as one who controls a bit beast usually does, she felt especially sensitive to presences around her, like those she could trust and those she could not. She could tell that Banner had potential, and that told no lies.

They trained in the darkest hours of night, alone, in the basement gym. It was practically the size of a bey stadium, it merely lacked bleachers for the spectators. In the course of the last few weeks she had been living there, she found it different. Their training was very much paying off, though she felt that Viatsu's potential had also increased exponentially. The green and black beast's attacks were executed flawlessly, but with much more energy left to spare. Perhaps it was time to revamp her style.

From around her neck, she felt a warm pulsing sensation. So, Dranzer agreed, eh? Well, then that was like having Kai's approval. She'd have to hurry, since she would be flying out soon, but if Viatsu was up for it, what was formulating a few new tricks to keep up their sleeves?

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Rex paced around before the two cells. He had little time before his shift was up to speak. Another guard had just approached him, with a bored expression. Nothing happened at night, and since no one had any means to escape, two guards sat in the control room and watched television. Still, he couldn't hardly let anyone catch on.

Well, he realized, there was one way to get the information across...

"Hiwatari."

Kai glared at Rex.

"Let's go."

The guard looked hesitantly at Rex. "Hey, Banner, don't ruin him, One's gonna be back from Miami tomorrow, and I'm sure he'll want a piece of 'em," He said with a slurred laugh.

"Yeah, yeah. Hiwatari, get up." Rex's tone was anything but nice, instead, he swung open the cell's door impatiently, shoving the Russian forcefully in front of him, the stun gun against his back.

Kai allowed Rex to escort him down a different hallway, toward the room he had been in only once before - when the man had bandaged him up days prior.

"Do you need any of the dressings changed?" The guard asked him, his warmer side shining through.

The champ shrugged, removing his shirt. "My back probably could use it," He said simply. Though he was not keen on accepting help from his captors, perhaps he could eventually gain an edge on their captor.

Rex set to work cleaning out the laceration wounds and re-bandaging them. "His name is Gregory Morrison."

"Who?"

"That emerald-haired guy. The one who's in charge of this entire event. The Carsons probably know who he is. Hell, I'm surprised you don't. Even your grandfather thought he was insane."

"Are you an undercover cop?"

"You know, I was asked the same damn thing a few hours ago when I used your cell phone to make a call."

Kai gritted his fists as the man finished taking care of Kai's back. "If you're on my side, why the fuck can't you give me my phone?"

"Because, it's locked up in the safe of One's office. I got lucky when I went in there. Had I been caught - well, I'm sure you've seen worse, but it would be pretty bad."

"Who did you call?"

"I dialed your girlfriend's cell phone."

Kai seemed a bit surprised. Why would Rex call a dead girl's cell phone? It was too wierd, and he had no real desire to think about it.

"Did you talk to Hilary?" Kai asked, after the inital thoughts wore themselves out.

Rex shook his head. The man leaned against one of the sterilized metal counters. "They wanted to kill me for what I did to you. I know I wailed you a bit too hard in the head, now that I think about it..." Kai seemed to think this less than funny.

"Who the hell did you talk to?"

Rex smirked. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"What do you - wait. Do _not_ tell me that," Kai said in pure rage. He could not take that.

"It was a set up."

"What?"

"She planned it."

"Who planned what?"

"AJ Carson is very much alive. As soon as I get her some fake ID, she'll be in London, coming for you. The rescue workers found her keys, ID, and a few of her credit cards, but it sounds like she's making out okay."

"Great." Kai paused, his emotions changing. Suddenly, he seemed to explode. "She- she's alive." He looked as if he was about to cry, before his very authoritive persona took over. "Ask her about Dranzer, tell her I'm going to kill her, and tell her to take the Lambo. It's in the furthest garage back. I can't believe this. I should have thought of it before-"

There was a shaking of Rex's head. "Do you have any idea how much it will cost to get that thing to England?"

Kai smirked. This was the best news he had ever felt. He just prayed it wasn't too good to be true. "I do and I'm paying for it and probably everything else she's needed since she 'died.'" Kai sobered up immensely. "And if you're lying to me-"

"The next time I see you, will be the last time I see anything but a hospital for the next six months."

Kai felt sudden hope. She said things like that all the time. "She said that to you, didn't she?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact she did."

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Notes: Wow, chapter seven! This rocks! And I did it again: that whole Rex thing started out as a tiny seedling.. I guess I should thank the Dukes of Hazzard(don't own) for that small smackerel of inspiration.

Review!

Please and thanks, and love to all!

Distant Stormx3

ps: the next chapter will be up within the next few days.


	8. Chapter 8

The disclaimer has run off. It is in chapters one and two, and then it has spots in the rest of the chapters... it just cannot decide which one to stay in. I guess it likes them all so much that it wants a spot in EACH and EVERY chapter.

Disclaimer goes HERE.

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Bursting his bubble was out of the question. As Kai Hiwatari nearly floated - yes, my dear readers, floated - back to the cell he had learned to call a home. The two people he called Mom and Dad, yeah, that was back too, they stared at him blankly, wondering why he looked so happy.

Rex stood behind him.

"What, did you put him on a strong dosage of pain killers?" Matthew asked skeptically. In all reality, Kai Hiwatari was acting as such. The only word to describe his behavior was this: bizzarre. And it was to be used with a few 'very's in front of it.

The black man shook his head.

"I'll let you explain, Kai," He said in his deep voice, before turning around and locking the door behind him. Kai stepped into his cell - of his own accord, mind you, and locked it. That smelled of being possessed, on drugs, the whole painkiller thing... The Carsons were surprised. What the heck was going on here?!

"Are you out of your mind? You could've escaped," Rose nearly yelled at him.

"And miss out on the fun?" Kai asked, a bright amythst glow returning to his grey-tinted orbs. "There's a party planned, since that Morrison guy left a few clues for my team to find..."

"Gregory Morrison?"

"He's running your company," Kai said, as if it were no big deal.

Rose growled as if she were Kai facing Boris Balkov. "I'll strangle him," she said.

"How come you didn't recognize him?" Kai asked. "He came in here almost every day. He's the green-haired freak."

"We've never met him," Matthew said simply. "Did that Rex guy tell you this?"

"Hn."

"Is that why you're so happy?"

Kai shrugged.

"C'mon, son, we need an answer," Rose prodded. She began to feel uplifted by his sudden good mood. "What's got you so happy?"

Silence reigned over them for a moment, in which Kai proceeded to pull out the beyblade AJ had made for him. "I want your permission," He began gently. "If what Rex says is true, then I _need_ your permission."

"Permission for what?" The Carsons looked at her confusion.

"I need your permission, and your blessing," He said quietly, "to marry your daughter."

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There was a loud dinging sound, followed by the turning of a door handle. AJ peered around the corner, only to see Tyson, Max, and Ray. In the American's hand was a small box.

"Hey, AJ, why was this outside the gates?"

The youngest of the Carsons leapt at Max, grabbed the box and ripped off the lid. "Cassandra Davis," she read, and gazed at the picture. It was not of herself, but rather of a girl who looked a great deal like her. Close enough, that she could lie and say she had dyed her hair - which she had, if you counted the highlights, and that the lighting made her eyes look a tad greener.

"What's that?" Tyson asked, rephrasing Max's question.

"A driver's liscense and passport," she said quietly. "I- I asked for this stuff about two hours ago... That guy really is a fed; musta traced the phone call. Holy shit!"

"What's going on?!" Tyson boomed. "No one outside of us was supposed to know!" He seemed to freak out in his typical manor, needing Max to hit him over the head with a shoe before he calmed down enough to think rationally. The American teen threw the set of keys he had used to drive the trio there - parking around the corner, mind you, thus breaking Tyson's possessed attitude.

She looked up from the box. "That black guy, the one that kicked Kai upside the head," She said quietly. "That guy is a Federal Agent for some country or another. Either way, he got me a passport to London. His name is Rex Banner, and if you don't believe me, you can check out the mainframe. He's listed as a fed on Voltaire's list of people to beware of."

"Crazy," Ray said. While it was pretty coincidental, things like these happened to the good guys. Thus, many of them were chalked up to thanking their bit beasts and the powers that be. Still, his mind cautioned him, as per usual. "Are you sure you can trust him?"

She nodded. "He's telling Kai I'm alive. And besides, he's going to call later, so you can listen to the conversation yourself. Hell, I'll let you trace the number, if you want to."

Without words, she placed the two items on the counter, before reaching for the cupboard for tea bags. She plucked up two of them, one for Ray as well as one for herself, since they were the only tea-drinkers.

"When do you plan to fly in?"

"Around whenever you can get tickets... I, well, I can go in at any time, I'm sure that one person on a plane - I can't hardly go with you guys - won't be too tough. A seat should be easy to come by."

"Especially when you aren't using your own credit card."

"Hey, I resent that, especially since I'm supposed to be dead, and you ain't supposed to speak ill of the dead."

Tyson huffed. "Well you aren't dead, so I don't have a problem, to be honest with you."

"You might," She said swiftly. "I can still beyblade-"

A bright red light illuminated the room, starting at AJ's neck.

"Holy crap, what was that?" Ray asked.

AJ reached for her necklace, trying to ease the light. "Dranzer," she whispered, almost like she was saying a prayer. "What is it?"

She felt the sensation of leaving her body, as she did once and awhile when Viatsu especially required her attention.

_Do not forget the letter, young mistress,_ The phoenix cooed softly. _You promised Master Alexander..._

"Suzaku," she whispered feebly, before opening her eyes again. Ray had her around the shoulders, her head upon his chest.

"Hey, you alright?" Ray asked defensively. Man, if anything were to happen to her now that Kai knew she was alive, they'd all be dead. "You kinda blacked out for a second there," he finished.

Max nodded. "Yeah. What's a 'Suzaku?'" He wondered aloud.

Should I tell them?

She felt a warm sensation throughout her body. It was comforting, but not overly warm. Viatsu edged at the corner of her mind, providing its insight in a cool wave. Play it safe, she gathered from the two responses.

"No idea," she said, and it was the truth. "Dranzer wants me to find out though, I can feel it."

"Yeah," Ray said gently, "Well even if we have this Rex guy on our side, we're still gonna need a lot of help."

"Speaking of help, where's Hilary?"

"She's with Dai," The trio said, exasperatedly. "They're planning on meeting us later for food. We'd invite you, but-"

"It's totally cool. Actually, that Banner guy's supposed to call me, although I have no idea when. I suppose I should be ready for his call though, since I do owe the guy for his help with the passport and stuff."

Ray thought. "So, do you plan on booking a flight soon? I know the Chief's raving about a flight to London with plenty of seats available in the next few days."

She shrugged. "I'll leave in the next few days, I'll leave a note on the table with the date and flight, so if you come and I'm not there, you'll know."

The trio nodded, allowed Ray to finish his tea while relaying the latest news of the BBA, and set out to meet Hilary, Daichi, and Kenny, who had also been out running errands related to their plan.

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The two Carsons barely managed to keep their jaws hinged. "Kai, honey," Rose began softly, "You know what happened to Audrey. She's dead now."

Kai sighed. "Rex," the teen said quickly, trying to rush through the conversation without being shot down, "Rex talked to her. He's helping her out, according to what he told me."

"And why should we believe him?" Matthew asked, his defense up. "He was the one that gave you that concussion," The father added.

"He said that he called her cell phone. Apparently she answered, so she must be alive. He said that she set the entire thing up."

"Really, did he tell you anything else?" Matthew asked.

"He said that Morrison has a team looking for Viatsu - since he's running your company, remember?"

Rose looked ready to strangle the air before her as if she were wringing the emerald-haired man's neck. "Has he said much to you about your team mates?"

"They're doomed if they go to Miami, but I guess that they quit the BBA, said they were going to Miami and are making plans to actually come to London. He said he was getting Aud a passport."

"So she's really alive," Matthew said softly. "My baby girl's alive."

Rose allowed tears of happiness to take over her. "I don't want to get my hopes up," She said through tears, "But it feels like its the truth."

"She's got to be alive," Kai murmurred.

Matthew Carson paced around, before looking back at Kai. "Hmm," He said, with a smirk upon his face. Kai gave him a bewildered look as the older man raised an eyebrow. "We said we'd call you son, did we not?"

Kai nodded.

Rose stood up as well. "And you seem to love our daughter..."

"Well?" Her husband said, looking to Kai. Time for last words, he tought. Why hadn't he brought this up right before they were rescued? His mind seemed to laugh at his words, words that he was never talented with.

Kai looked at them confusedly, before realizing what he had said about twenty minutes ago. "Before I ask for her hand in marriage, I ask for your consent," he said simply. His mind seemed shocked at his mouth's capabilities. That was some fancy wording for a stoic Russian champion.

"What would your parents say?" Rose asked.

The Russian champion stared in shock as they inquired about what his parents - should the have been alive or interested - would have given him before the fact. "My mother would have died after seeing AJ. She would have insisted I marry her on the spot just for being as beautiful as she is. My father," he trailed off for a moment, thinking about the man, "Would tell me that if I was willing to give up everything just for her, then I would have his blessing."

"Are you willing to give up everything for our daughter?"

Kai nodded.

"As we knew from the first day you came into our lives." The woman smiled, and Kai immediately felt relief wash over his features. He had a feeling, the second he found out she was alive that they would want to change their mind about how they gave him their blessing. They were still over-protective parents.

Matthew's smirk faded into a smile. He looked at his wife, whose eyes nearly overflowed with tears. "Well, Rose?"

"If we make it out of this," the woman said, a hint of seriousness as well as sarcasm and humor coming across in her tone, "You damn well better marry my daughter."

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She walked to the furthest garage away from the house. Despite the gothic look of the house, this garage looked more like an ancient barn that was falling apart.

"Okay, Rex, I'm at the garage. What did he say to do?"

_"Something about a Lambo,"_ the man said retorted.

A mischievious smile passed through her dark stained lips. "Oh. See, I knew he had one, I just didn't know where in the world he hid it. How much will it take to get it to London?"

_"He offered to pay."_

"Well it isn't like this excursion isn't on him anyways. What else?"

_"Dranzer."_

Almost immediately, she felt a warm sensation spread out to her fingertips. Dranzer's approval had been given. She could speak to Rex about the phoenix; since the flaming bird believed him to be the real deal as well. "Dranzer will be given to Kai when I see him. I have her for now."

_"My final topic before we finish this conversation: Viatsu. What is going on with your bit beast? Anything strange?"_

She seemed a bit concerned. No one knew anything had been going on lately with Viatsu. The loyal beast immediately calmed her, the greenish-blue flames cooling her mind. "Just working on upgrading out style," she said simply. Viatsu liked this answer.

Rex sighed. _"Gregory Morrison wants Viatsu not only to match his hair color. Your bit beast is on the brink of an evolution."_ AJ gasped, but her bit beast made no effort to calm her this time. It was the truth, and AJ would have to brace herself. _"Morrison saw your talent last year at the World Championships, and I believe he wants to enhance your bit beast after it evolves. He's got hordes of people looking for it, and he's got hordes of people already using those enhanced bit beasts. Stanley Dickenson endorsed the bit beast therapy project-"_

"That'll have to change," she said simply. "Viatsu and I will not be separated. That's final and I'll make sure that everyone knows it."

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The London airport's terminal was not particularly crowded. As she stepped off the plane, however, she was grateful for the lack of public attention, as well as for the non-existant paparazzi. The airport was pristinely clean, looking as though the floors were clean enough to eat from.

With a laugh, AJ realized that Tyson had probably eaten four and five course meals off of worse surfaces. She meanered patiently over to the luggage rack, plucking up a suitcase with wheels and a handle. Afterward, she pulled out her cell phone, scanning through the digital phone book to call a certain number.

_"This is Abby,"_ A young woman said in a British accent. _"Are you Cassi?"_

AJ sighed, grateful that she had not said her true name. "Yes," She said, trying to use her best American English. Between learning bits and phrases of Japanese, the Russian she had acquired from Kai, and all the slang she used in the States, she prayed that she didn't make a fool of herself.

_"Well, Cassi, if you're the one with the navy blue bag and that really cute Coach purse, I'm looking directly at you."_

"That would be me," AJ said, feeling instantly welcomed by the girl's tone, not to mention taste. She'd have to send the girl a Coach bag the next time she went to one of the United States Coach Outlets.

A second later, a jean-clad young woman, with dark, almost black hair and very tanned skin - not as dark as Rex's though, found her, and extended a hand. "Abby Banner. My Dad said you'd be expecting me. I guess he doesn't like the airport - still.

AJ laughed. "It's nice to meet you," she said, and they shook hands. "I've never been to London before."

That was a true statement, the American teen thought. It surprised her too, since her parents did spend a great deal of time here, and she'd never truly been to the city where their empire really began.

"I'll show you around in the morning," Abby said, receiving a confused look from the elder girl. "Oh, don't worry. The blokes at my school won't even know I'm missing, and my father said I could skip school if I came to get you."

"Cool Dad," she said simply.

"Your parents strict?"

AJ felt a slight nerve being struck, but quickly covered it up. "They've been really busy with... business."

"Ahh. My dad said you were pretty busy yourself. I have no idea how he knows you, either."

"He's helping me out. He knows my parents."

That was the answer Rex had told her to give, since he had stated that lying about his job to his daughter really sucked.

"You know, you look a great deal like AJ Carson." Abby smiled. "I can't believe she killed herself. It's a shame. I wanted to be like her someday."

The spark of competition roared up in the American's heart. "Hey, you beyblade?"

"Not too well, but I'm not too bad."

Audrey nodded, a smile blossoming across her face. "If you show me around the city, I'll help you train. Deal?"

"You think you're pretty good?" Abby asked. There was a bit of a competitive spark about the younger teen as they left the Airport. "Before we make any deals like that, you'll have to see if you can even beat me."

Inside her mind, AJ laughed. This girl would be a lot of fun, but c'mon. What the hell did she - a sixteen year old Brit - have on her All-American World Champion beyblading ass?

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The voice that picked up the phone was hazy, clouded with the grogginess of sleep. Sleep he was now _losing_ thanks to whoever had called him.

_"Excuse me for calling so late, Sir,"_ The caller apologized, _"But I wanted let you know that I've got Miss Carson at my home."_

The man yawned at his caller. "I can't believe you stumbled upon this one, Banner," He said, more awake at the name of the 'late' Champion. "Headquarters will be pleased."

_"Morrison still believes that the G-Revolutions will be heading to Miami, and he has just sent his second-in-command back to London to control the status of the three prisoners."_

"Great. Hold your ground so long as they don't try to kill anyone."

_"Sir, if I may say so, why are we holding our ground? They're abusing a nineteen-year-old, and quite frankly, it's sickening."_

"My orders come from my superior, Agent Banner. Unfortunately, they wish to see what other meddling Morrison has planned. You can contact him when it isn't after midnight in the States."

_"Yes sir,"_ Rex confirmed, only to be met with a dial tone. With that, CIA Director Agent Stephens hung up the phone and returned to the warmth of his bed. To be quite honest, he thought as he drifted off to sleep, those teenage beybladers were probably better-suited for the job.

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Notes: This chapter was a tad - okay a page and a half - shorter than most of the others, but I had to cut it off here. The action will begin in the next chapter. I'm going to try my hand at breaking up the action too, so it isn't like a twenty-some page blob of action-tastic stuff followed by a resolution that's a paragraph long.

Okay, so I can't just write _one_ paragraph, but you get the principle.

Love yas and thanks for the reviews and support!

Distant Storm


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer goes here.

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Abby led her up a set of stairs and into a small appartment on the northwestern side of the city. "Well, it's not too much, but it's home," The girl said, as they stepped through the small hallway and into an equally tiny kitchen.

"It's cool," AJ said sincerely. "I've always lived outside of cities, not within them."

The younger seemed interested, taking her bags and throwing them into the living room. "Well, I know your flight came in from Kyoto, you have designer purses, and you brought a really awesome car with you, so your rents have to be rich."

"It's my boyfriend's car," AJ replied. "He's letting me borrow it because he's got tons of money. Probably wants me to wreck it so he can get a new one. And my parents have cash, don't get me wrong, but they're never around."

The newly appointed hostess nodded, leading AJ back into the tiny kitchen. "Dad's always busy with this job or that, but not typically does he work so many hours. He's been staying later and later. As a matter of fact, I know he has yet to come home tonight. Says his work doesn't get cell phone reception either, so it bloody pisses me off."

AJ smirked. "He's a busy guy, I can tell."

"Our money typically comes in spurts. Dad will finish one job and move on to the next, so we try and plan it out to pay the rent. Eventually, he wants to get moved back to the United States, where I was born."

"Cool," The champ stated, as Abby pulled out two cups from the cupboard.

"You like tea?"

"Yeah."

"This is England," the girl warned. "English tea?"

AJ nodded. "I love all kinds of tea. My one friend makes the best Chinese tea. He's got his ying and yang and zen all ballanced."

"You'll have to tell me about him," Abby told her. "And that boyfriend of yours. Is he hot?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Audrey responded, and the duo laughed.

From nearby, the front door of the appartment opened, and a tired looking Rex Banner walked in the door. "Hello there Abby," He said, hugging his daughter and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Miss Cassandra," He said, with a smile. "It's nice to see you. Your parents were exstatic to know that your flight came in without a hitch."

"Likewise," 'Cassandra' responded, shaking the man's hand. "I assume we have much to talk about."

Rex smirked. "Yes, that we do, but it can wait for the morning. I don't have to be back until around two."

"Afternoons, Dad?" The younger girl asked, crossing her mocha-colored arms.

"Yes, I'll be working from two to eleven, but I may have to sneak in some overtime."

"Great." Abby looked to AJ. "We'll have to order out now, because I can _not_ cook."

AJ laughed gently. "No problem, I'm a fairly decent chef. That Chinese friend of mine was like a gormet, five-star chef. He taught me a little bit, not to mention that I'm on my own a lot. Consider yourself cooked for," She said with a smile.

"Was that your boyfriend's car?"

AJ nodded, figuring that her boyfriend's lambo - with a _Dranzer1_ license plate - would attract some attention, but not as much as it would if Kai were to drive it himself.

"Your boyfriend has a Dranzer fettish?" Abby asked sincerely. "That's _too_ cute."

Rex sat down at the small table in the kitchen, pulling up a third chair for AJ. For a while, silence reigned over them, as the suited man seemed to have a conversation with the American via glances.

"What's going on?" Abby asked.

"Nothing," Rex said. "Now, Cassi, do you beyblade?"

"I do," The girl responded casually.

"You and Abby will have to practice together."

Judging by the look upon Rex's face, it meant to eighty-six Viatsu's involvement in any of those battles, for fear of damage to the younger woman. AJ seemed to agree, again using her eyes to relay the message. Viatsu then appeared within the confines of her mind, reminding her of the fact that she was not to be somekind of wickedly talented beyblader.

_Do not draw attention to yourself unless it's necessary,_ the two beasts relayed to her. _Like the Lambo. Was that really necessary?_

A sarcastic comment flooded her mind. Oh yes, she communicated back, The Lambo was definitely necessary.

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Tyson's stomach growled. "Guysss," He whined, holding onto the surprisingly toned noise-maker. "I'm starving! Can't we stop and get something to eat?"

It was sweatdrops all around for the gang walking alongside him. "Tyson," Hilary complained, "You ate both my food and Daichi's on the plane, not to mention your own dinner. How in the heck can you be hungry?"

The London nightlife was almost the exact same as Bakuten's. People did not meander around the more suburban areas at night, but the inner-city area was a great deal like a Las Vegas strip, where excitement found them around every corner.

Ray Kon looked around fleetingly. Nothing looked like it would be accessible to them, and any hotel they went to would not have a buffet open this late. Being the temporary leader of the group, he merely shrugged and continued to look for a decent place to 'nourish' Tyson. How that kid could contain his weight and and figure was beyond all laws of physics - or as Hilary put it - against all laws of decency.

The group was going to meet up with AJ at an undisclosed location tomorrow. They would be contacted by AJ that morning, but she would have to sneak out of her current location.

"Hey!"

All eyes went to a bright flash in the distance.

"Oh man," Tyson said, his hunger currently forgotten. "That looked like-"

There was another spasm of light, and if it wasn't for the eerie bright green color, they would have assumed it to be lighting... that went the opposite direction. A dark cloud seemed to brew over a location in the distance, and they could have sworn that the air seemed to cackle of static.

Max looked to Tyson, who looked to Ray. The neko-jin nodded. "We gotta go find her."

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Two hours previous, Abby Banner had challenged her current visitor and new-found friend, 'Cassi Davis,' to a beybattle. It was a no consequences battle, and both sides were interested in one thing: having fun. Despite the fact that one was an undercover ex-champion, and the other was an undercover CIA agent's daughter.

"You're totally going down," 'Cassi,' said deviously, her beyblade's speed increasing, mostly to boast of skill.

Abby rolled her eyes.

The battle continued, both sides gaining and losing the advantage as the sun set. Eventually, Abby grew sick of waiting around, calling upon a cheetah bit beast with surprising speed and evasiveness. While 'Cassi' knew she could land a hit on the girl, an average blader would stand to chance.

Lowering her defenses, Abby quickly overcame the ex-champion, who smiled graciously as the Brit defeated her. "You're amazing," AJ Carson said simply. "Have you ever thought of blading with the BBA? Stanley Dickenson would die to have you."

The mocha skinned girl pulled her long, dark hair back into a ponytail. "You really think so? I'm not the best, but I'm not too shabby. I thought you'd school me in a second."

"Your speed is wicked," AJ stated. "I'd love to see you battle a well-known blader. You'd take the world by storm."

Abby rubbed her hand behind her head. "Sure I would," she said sarcastically. "And AJ Carson's going to come out from behind me in the flesh and say the same."

"Don't doubt it."

"What was that?"

Audrey sweatdropped. "Nothin'," She murmurred, while the two bit beasts in her mind became the voices of reason that would slowly drive her insane. They carried on conversation, explaining the imortance of a low profile, something that she was good at when hiding her relationship with Kai.

Amber eyes met her own green ones. "Alright, if you say so." The look on her face stated that she was not entirely convinced, but Abby had shrugged it off. "Wanna give it another go?"

"Sure."

They continued to battle, and each time - Abby lost two victories later - the ex-champ felt like the power within her, within Viatsu, was beginning to swell.

"Again?"

"Hang on," AJ said, moving away from her opponent, following a victory. "Give me a moment, I need to readjust my attack ring."

Once in the corner of the small backyard, AJ glanced at her beyblade, though the bit chip was safely tucked inside her pocket.. Alright, she channeled mentally, Viatsu, what in the world is going on?

_The evolution,_ Another voice answered, not being Viatsu. _Mistress, your bit beast is drawing close to an evolution. Perhaps you should cease battling, she may not be able to control herself much longer..._

Thankfulness waded across the link between the girl and her lover's phoenix partner. It was returned with a great warmth.

Viatsu?

The girl's question was answered with a weary voice. _Mistress?_

What can I do for you?

A tad bit of shock met the champ's side of their link. _You're doing everything you can. Master Kai will soon be returned to you, and we can return to the world of the living. I will be fine once we are no longer restricted, though I fear that the power may be overwhelming for you at first. Be careful of your emotions-_

We'll be getting ourselves in trouble, AJ mentioned casually, But that's nothing out of the ordinary. Do not restrict yourself for my sake. I'll be okay. We're partners, remember?

_You're far too gracious, Audrey. No wonder Master Kai loves you so much._

Master Kai?

_You're two halves of one whole, are you not? Dranzer and I view you as ours. Partnerships do extend beyond the normal realms, sometimes._

A second mystical voice filled the conversation. _Mistress, in case you had neglected to notice, Miss Abby is staring._

I suppose I should act like I'm not having inward conversations with bit beasts, when in reality I have two but she doesn't think that I have any... The girl continued her mental ramble to the two celestial beings.

_Do you ramble to Kai this much? _Dranzer chirped.

_No,_ Viatsu answered tiredly. _I am privy to this behavior. It's gotten to the point where I understand it._

"Uhh, Cass?"

AJ, being accustomed to the new name, tilted her head in her companion's direction. "Nani... I mean, what?"

"Do you have any idea who the guy in the suit is?"

A white hot sensation tingled at her neckline as Dranzer grew defensive. The awakened sense of danger emerged and Viatsu seemed to surge in her fingertips. Following where Abby pointed, the two girls saw a man staring at them with vicious intentions glimmering in his eyes.

"You should go inside, Abby," AJ said quietly.

The girl laughed. "Sure, Cass, I'll go inside and leave you alone with the creepy man in black. That sounds safe."

The man smirked and took a step back. "Don't worry, there's one for each of you."

From out of nowhere, Abby Banner found her backyard overwhelmed by strangely outfitted beybladers. "Whoa," Abby said surprised, "Those kids have Carson Enterprise logos on their shirts. What the hell?"

AJ spat at the ground. "You're lookin' for a beybattle, aren't you?"

The black haired kid accross from her smirked at his sandy-haired partner. "Nah, I was actually in it for the tea and crumpets. What do you think, Yankee?"

She felt a familiar spark ignite in her veins as adrenaline leaked into her system. Mentally, she felt Viatsu tense up. Their bond became crystal clear as Abby launched her beyblade in sync with the other two boys. Viatsu did not like the situation, while Dranzer's bit chip nearly burned the skin between her collarbones. The phoenix seemed to pick up a strange sensation.

"They've got - oh man," AJ said simply, as her beyblade barely withstood a collision with her opponent's blade. "Ab, trust me, they've got really strong bit beasts."

"How would you know?" The sandy haired blader asked. "What do you know about us?"

AJ said nothing, focusing on her losing - wait, what the hell was going on here, she thought, _losing?! _- battle. Every once and a while the two evil bladers would combine attacks, thus putting AJ out of commision quickly.

"Carmella, attack!" The cheetah arose when called, glancing around threateningly at the two boys.

The two Carson Enterprise beybladers looked at each other and cracked malicious smiles. "Let's go," They said their bodies seeming to take on a bit of stress as their beyblades glowed like Abby's.

In an unheard of move, well, one that the BBA would have probably proceeded to have a cardiac arrest over, she slipped her hand into her pocket and pushed her bit chip upon the beyblade.

"Bloody hell," The girl said, as her beyblade was slammed into pieces by her two opponents. They seemed to advance upon her beyblade as it glowed an infectious orange-ish color. "Don't touch her, you assholes!"

"Showtime," AJ said aloud, in a heated whisper, before turning her voice up to a challenging tone. "Hey, idiots, why don't you mess with someone your own size?"

"Didn't we destroy you already?"

Keep it to a minimum, if you can, Audrey communicated, re-launching her beyblade. She felt a pained response from Viatsu. The evolution was not easy for her to hold in, she could tell.

Gears clicked into alignment like a spinal cord sliding in line after a long sleep. The beyblade hummed in excitement, colliding with the other two like a comet headed for an asteroid. "Hey," Her sandy-haired opponent said angrily, "Where'd this power come from?"

AJ threw out her hand defensively in front of Abby. "Get behind me," The champ said simply. Her eyes were narrowed dangerously, the darkness seeming to intensify her greenish-blue orbs. "They won't touch your bit beast."

The black and green beyblade snapped at the other two, causing them to attack back, their bit chips surging with angry power. "Now you've made us mad," Abby's original opponent said angrily. "You may have a supercharged beyblade, but we've got supercharged bit beasts."

Intense laughter errupted from AJ's mouth. "And I've been mad since your stupid-ass boss kidnapped my family. So let's see... I think you should be afraid."

They looked at her confusedly. "You trying to tell us that you're that dead chick?"

Abby gasped. "What you said before, under your breath..."

"Viatsu, let 'em have it. I'm done playing around."

A bright green electricity erruped throughout the air, sparking high, skyward. Dranzer glowed threateningly around her, her phoenix form suddenly visible as a protective barrier against the discharge of energy from Viatsu's raging form.

The four-legged creature's body was completely black, her eyes viciously green, though the hint of blue - identical to Audrey's - caught her in an intense, almost surreal look. The dimming streetlights hummed out of power as the bit beast sucked it up, releasing a second bout of light, colliding with the two summoned bit beasts of AJ's opponents.

A moment later, Dranzer shot off, scorching the road as she glided throughout the city.

"Suzaku," the champion said, squeezing the vacant bit chip around her neck. The blinding light, and the trail left on the ground into the distance tipped her off. It would lead her to Kai. "It is _so _on," AJ said, gazing up to Viatsu, who reared her head in pleasure. It would be fun.

"What the hell?"

"Viatsu, go for it!" A green wave of light overcame the bit beasts, who were fryed from the electric discharge of the final attack, thus suspending them in light, which burst into vicious flames. The bladers were already beaten, laying on the ground nearby.

AJ flicked her hair over her shoulder, recalling her beyblade. "And I didn't even call an attack. That is so killer." Squeezing the beyblade in thanks to her partner, she grabbed Abby's wrist.

"You," The girl said angrily, breaking out of the champion's grip. "It's not possible!"

"Yeah, my name is Audrey Carson, ex-world champion, and supposed dead person." She grabbed the girl's wrist. "Anything that you've got in there that's worth takin', let's have it. We've gotta go."

Abby looked at her in astonishment. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Your Dad said not to."

"He knows?"

"You'd be fuckin' surprised if you knew just what your dad knows. He's helpin' mine."

"Wow... Dad's helping the champion?" She received a nod from AJ. "Holy crud." The duo headed into the house. "I need to grab a beyblade, then we'll get out of here. Where are we going?"

AJ followed her into the house, then out the front to her car. Abby followed her, the shock just beginning to wear off. It was replaced with a sense of adrenaline that she wasn't used to. "See that scorch mark? Consider that the trail. We're gonna go bust out some people. I'm sure we'll meet your dad along the way."

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Notes: Okay, another one done. Review peoples! Please?!?!

I'll love you forever!

Distant Storm


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer goes HERE

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Rex was thrown on the ground roughly. A kick connected to his rib cage, and judging by the snap, one of its bones had broken in the process. He took quick rattling breaths, not used to the labor involved with the usually involuntary function. A few steps away, Kai Hiwatari sprung into action, clutching the keys that flew from the fed's grasp. His cell came unlocked a second later.

The whip typically used upon the Russian teen found its way to the ousted Federal Agent, who looked downright astonished. Apparently they were nowhere near used to the abuse Kai had learned to handle from an early age. After the first crack, a whimper from the only female prisoner, and a groan of pain from the large black man, Kai stepped in to defend his newfound comrade.

"I'll teach you, you two-faced double crossing bastard-" One cracked the whip toward Rex with meaning, only to hit another target, who had moved directly in the whip's path. The leather strap wrapped itself around his arm without causing so much as a bruise. "What's this? A kid's defending you?"

Kai growled threateningly, ripping the whip out of One's grasp. "I'll show you, baka." He threw back the whip, cracked it in the air with as much authority as Boris Balkov himself, and then made the motion to strike.

One drew a pistol from his pocket. Rose whimpered again in agony. The ruthless man before her 'son' would not back down. On the contrary, the man would have no problem sinking a bullet into Kai.

"Say your prayers, Hiwatari."

The echoing sound of gunfire made Rose Carson scream while both she and her husband hid their faces. Kai dropped the whip and looked to Rex. The man clutched his side with one hand, but the other was outstretched, holding a metallic black handgun.

The Carsons lifted their heads in shock, only to see their former tormentor's still form ooze blood from the chest. "There was no other way," Banner said, standing shakily. Kai took him by the good side of his body, supporting him. "I think I snapped a rib," He said quietly, wheezing.

"I'll say," Rose said, motioning to the bone protruding from his right side. "Are you alright other than that?"

He nodded, and they set out, only to stop upon the next loud noise. It sounded like a scream, was followed by a crash, and a bit of gunfire.

"Dranzer," Kai said almost dazedly, his eyes clouding over. He left the man's side to step out of the room, toward where they took their showers. Within a second they were met with a blinding red light. The warmth surrounded him like a motherly embrace.

Rex stared ahead. "AJ is with my daughter, Abby. I'm sure they've run into trouble by now," He said quietly, before coughing. "We should get out of here."

Kai smirked playfully, clutching his beyblade with great reverence as the phoenix settled inside a bit chip of its own creation. Rex sauntered to the champion, extending to him an object of great value.

"She brought it for you," The agent said seriously. "I'm glad no one saw it." He coughed painfully, but extended a blue launcher with a phoenix head.

Kai took it gingerly, his fingers rushing with warmth after feeling oddly cold. He hadn't remembered feeling like he was cold, but Dranzer's warmth was of a different kind. It was familiar, like family. It had always reminded him of his father.

Matt placed a hand upon Kai's shoulder. "Go for it son," the father said, getting pumped. "Blow this place to hell."

Settling into position, the champ smirked playfully. "Don't tell me twice."

xxxxxxxxxx

Abby looked around feverishly. Her hands shook on the dashboard, one holding a beyblade, the other curled into a fist. She looked to the driver of the Lamborghini, and realized that the shaking was from the adrenaline. Not even in her wildest dreams did she expect to find herself riding shotgun in AJ Carson's presence.

"You okay?" AJ asked her, looking around before blowing a stoplight. The speed-limit, sixty kilometers per hour, had been surpassed. AJ was currently going in American speeds, having just hit sixty miles per hour and counting. She had hit eighty before the next intersection.

The mocha skinned girl nodded, then pushed her fisted hand into a pocket, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all," AJ said, declining Abby's offer of a Newport. "The nerves are killing me too, but I'm drinking a monster."

"That makes your heartbeat increase," Abby reminded her.

"So does a smoke. Live each day like it's your last, kid, trust me." AJ fiddled with the ring on her right hand as she swerved left, following the scorched trail of Dranzer's flames.

Being the youngest, Abby was not allowed to drive, but her mind kept getting caught on two things: Dranzer, and the Lambo. "Hey, AJ?"

The champ looked over quickly, before glancing back at the road. "Sup?"

"Why did you have Dranzer?"

A sad look crossed AJ's features. "I was watching over her while Kai's been gone."

"Wait-" The younger pressed, before trailing off.

The sad look changed to a sly smile. "Whatcha thinking?"

Abby's eyes widened. "Dranzer1, your family 'n Kai kidnapped... you've got Dranzer..." She broke off for a second. "This is Kai's car isn't it?"

AJ nodded. "Yep."

"But you said this was your boyfriend's ca-"

The silence... presumably awe-filled, AJ supposed, passed with the screeching of tires, the loud-mouthed smooth voice of Chad Kroeger and Nickelback, and Abby's sigh following a drag on the cigarette. The thought must have registered completely through her mind.

"So how long have you been with him? He never acted like it," Abby managed, lighting up another of the cancer sticks. "I mean, it couldn't have been too long."

"Yeah, only a few years."

Abby choked on the smoke. "A _few_? He seems like the player type, you know?"

There was more laughter. "Maybe, but he's rather possessive. He'd beat up anyone who so much as looked at me like I was on the market."

"Gotcha. So my Dad knew about this too?"

Lights flew past them as AJ continued to follow the scorched path. "Yeah." They flew through a stoplight, only to screech and skid to the left, the back end of the car almost a hair from burning out. Both laughed, only to see a bright light go up in the distance as a red flames engulfed a building.

"Holy shit," Abby said quietly. "The fucking apocalypse is coming, isn't it?"

"Bloody likely," AJ said, leaving the car where it was. She opened the door to the vehicle, praying that it would remain safe until they returned for it. She'd trashed enough vehicles for a while. "Let's go on foot. That'll draw far too much attention," she said, pointing to the Lambo. Under her breath, she added, "No comments from the peanut gallery, Viatsu."

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"Hey," Max said, looking at the front stairs leading to a rather dismantled house, "This is the one, the house that AJ said she'd be at, right?"

Ray nodded, examining the front door, which was hanging on lopsidedly, detached from the top. He looked back at the group. "I think it is."

An earth shattering rumble disturbed Tyson's statement, which never left his mouth. "What is it now?" Daichi said uninterestedly. So many things had happened and he was downright sick of them - already.

The Chief popped his head around the small porch of the building. "Uhh, that would be Dranzer."

Obviously it had to be so, since the phoenix's trademark red and blue were the only colors they could see, exploding like fireworks in the distance. "Angry," Was the only thing Ray said.

"Wouldn't you be too?" Max asked. "She's probably gonna trash everything that has to do with that Morrison guy," he added as an afterthought.

Tyson gave a cheeky smile as he entered the house. "What would a Kai-recovery-mission be without a ticked off flash of red light?"

"That sounds familiar," Max said simply.

"Lake Baikal," The rest of the group, minus Hilary and Daichi said.

A sigh of general anxiety filled the room. Whatever happened to living a normal life? People were pretending to commit suicide, people were getting help from secret government associations, people were just - well, people. And they needed a chance to try and live as such. Even if only for a little while.

They entered the small kitchen, crowded around the small island. Each of them saw the chaos the house was in. The kitchen looked like it had at one point been on fire, since the curtains were singed, along with the back door and window frames. Drawers upon drawers had been thrown to the ground, so that shattered glass and cutlery adorned it in a multi-colored hazzardous design.

"Why would they destroy this place?" Kenny pondered aloud. "What were they looking for?"

Ray looked at a shattered picture frame. There was a crack distinctly down the center of the glass, like a bolt of lightning. He examined the persons in the photo. "This guy screams bodyguard," The tiger mentioned. "He's built like a tank."

The rest of the group nodded, looking at the other two. "A family," Hilary said breathlessly. "Who in the world..?"

"This guy must be that Rex Banner," Daichi said, matter-of-factly.

Nodding to support him, Ray walked up to the lopsided photograph hanging on the wall. Without effort, he plucked it from the metal binding it to the plastered wall and marveled at what lay behind it.

"Kenny, can you open this safe?"

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AJ allowed herself to slow. She could not be out here alone, and while Abby was indeed in shape, she was not as pumped as AJ was. "You doin' okay?" The champ asked, her beyblade launcher bouncing against her as she ran.

There was a nod from behind her as Abby coughed a bit. "No more cigarettes for me."

"Good call," The champ said, "Though this occasion totally meritted it."

Although there was a tinge of laughter etched upon their faces, the duo sighed. Trouble would lay ahead. AJ was not as sure that Abbey would be able to handle it.

They looked ahead at the red light that was getting far to close. AJ saw it curve in another direction, which meant they were leaving whatever compound they had been in. Her thoughts suddenly changed. That compound would not be her destination. If Dranzer was with her parents and Kai, they were safe. That left her with the next part:

Morrison.

A knowing smile quirked her lips. "Abby, go left up here."

"Why?"

AJ smirked. "Go to the B.B.A. building and ask for your father. I'm sure that if Dranzer's acting the way she is, she's with Kai, and therefore they're all together. Most likely at the B.B.A. Do not tell anyone over there about me or what I'm about to do."

The girl nodded seriously, noting the obvious authority in the ex-Champ's voice. "And what would that be?" She questioned sarcastically. "Last time you drove off a bridge."

"If I'm not back in five hours, and only then, tell Kai to blow up Carson Enterprises."

Abby looked frightened. "You can't go alone!"

"Someone has to be there in case I don't come back," AJ said softly. "Somebody's gotta be the messenger, and since I'm the one Morrison's been waiting for, I thought I'd show him what for. Nobody messes with my family."

"Or mine," Abby said evenly, an edge hazing her voice. "Make 'em pay. My dad doesn't like to see blokes like Kai suffer."

"You got it, sweetheart," AJ said, with a wink. She took off in a sprint toward the building that happened to be the second tallest in downtown London. "Carson Enterprises, here I come."

xxxxxxxxxx

Abby flew through the doors of the B.B.A.'s headquarters, feeling important. After all, how many lucky chaps could claim that _they_ had the chance to asist a 'dead' champion? At the front desk was a group of paparazzi members, all crazy and ravenous for the latest news. She growled angrily.

"Excuse me," She said, nonchalantly, pushing her anger into a sarcastic statement. "But I doubt any of you would know what to do with a beyblade. Step the hell aside."

The reporters regarded her with angry stares, but the woman behind the desk smirked at her. "Let her through," The woman bellowed, frightening the rioting men and women of the press. She was a beautiful woman with blonde hair and pale skin. A fake diamond piercing was in set her nose, despite her professional aura. "You are?"

"Abby Banner."

There was a set of gasps from behind and in front of her. The reporters began swarming again. Abby reached for her launcher and beyblade, locking rip cord and blade into the launcher. The press gaped as she gripped the rip cord tightly.

"I think Miss Banner is serious," The secretary said, thoroughly amused.

Mute nodding from the press followed, before they backed off. Abby turned back toward the desk. "I'm guessing my dad got here already."

The secretary nodded. "He arrived about five minutes ago. Go to the thirtieth floor, he should be there." She paused. "They probably have a medical team up there, though. He broke a rib."

Abby paled a bit, thoroughly hating the distortion of a broken bone in a human body. She nodded gravely before taking off toward the elevator, but could not resist a taunting wave of the launcher in her hand. "Stay," she growled at them, like the paparazzi were dogs.

Once she had gone, the secretary opened up a news paper, took a swig of the carbonated beverage hidden beside her desk, and gave the paparazzi a bored look.

"For the record, if you piss me off," A dead stare was given to the mass of reporters, "I will arrange for Miss Banner to come down here and beat the piss out of you."

xxxxxxxxxx

Kenny released a breath he did not know he had held as the safe slid open. The group poked their heads around The Cheif's as he pulled back the silent door. Inside, well, they gaped at what they saw.

"Dude, what the hell kind of gun is that?" Tyson looked incredulously at the black metallic object, but Hilary swatted his hand away.

"Don't touch, it might burn your hand off or something."

The champ huffed. "I just wanna know where to get one of those."

The chief stared at it. "That gun, it was never released to the public. Either this guy has everything to do with the black market, or the US government has been giving illegal items to their federal agents."

Ray shook his head in disbelief. Things got stranger and stranger by the minute with them. "Well, I doubt anyone wants to deal with the consequences of touching it either way. Let's lock it back up and get the heck out of here."

"Yeah," Hilary said softly, "Before the skeletons in this closet come alive."

Max laughed. "Everyone's got a secret, huh?"

The gang looked at the vault's contents again. "Hey, wait! What's that?"

Lifting himself up on the ledge of the vault, Ray reached in and grabbed the file in the back of the vault. "It has to do with AJ... and Morrison."

"Is it Biovolt?"

The Neko-Jin shook his head. "No.. Carson enterprises. Banner was employed there, but these papers don't look like the average company file."

"Apparently," Kenny said, looking dully at his comrades. "The logo on the file folder says Carson Enterprises, alright, but those papers are like only one other set of papers I've seen anywhere else."

"Where, Chief, where?!" Daichi yelled impatiently.

"These papers are the beginnings of a federal search warrant. Mr. Dickenson wanted me to help him fill out something similar during the B.E.G.A. incident." The group cringed at the thought of Boris Balkov. "Except these ones look a bit more sophisticated. That's where the one-of-a-kind part comes in. F.B.I. and C.I.A. agents have these types of papers." Kenny pointed out a set of vials in the corner of the vault, barely poking out behind another large and highly frightning weapon. "There's also samples of hair and what looks like blood."

"That's why it feels so cold in here," Hilary said in realization. "It's a chilled vault. He's keeping evidence in here. He must have been trying to get Morrison arrested the entire time. It's an inside job!"

"Well Hilary, these would be your skeletons," Max said, scrinching his nose in disgust. "I hate this stuff."

"I think we all do."

Daichi jumped up and down angrily. "Well it's safe to say that the lunatics that went through here won't be back. We should go 'n find Dickenson."

"I'll take the file. The rest of the stuff is pretty much useless. I'm sure that Kai and AJ will have enough up their sleeves even if we don't have the rest of this stuff."

"What if they get a hold of the weapons?"

"I'll melt the safe together if I have to," Hilary said, pulling out her beyblade. "I'm not afraid turn up the heat."

Tyson looked at her strangely, but she only smiled. "We should probably seal it so that no one can get the guns. I'm sure someone can break it apart later."

Nodding, Hilary locked her magenta colored beyblade into position, slid in her rip cord and clenched it tightly. "Let it rip!"

xxxxxxxxxx

Abby could barely contain herself as she out of the elevator's doors. The bright orange jackets of the medical team and the red crosses contained on their things slightly frightened her, but she pushed past the group of people who asked nothing but questions, focusing only on the door in front of her.

"Miss, there's a private meeting going on in there!" A burly man said, clad in a neon orange wind breaker with the name _Sarge_ in white cursive. "You cannot enter."

Once again, the girl readied her beyblade, sparing the witty banter and settling for a threat. "My name is Abby Banner. If you don't let me in there, I'll launch my beyblade through your stomach."

The man was taken aback by the violent threat, and merely opened the door a crack. There was a distinct and abrupt hault to all conversation. A frightened hush took over the occupants.

"My apologies," Sarge said remorsefully. "There is a young woman named Abby-"

"Let her in!" Came the unanimous yell from the occupants of the room. The man was surprised, jumping to the side as they shouted.

"Thanks Sarge," she murmurred, nodding while she slid her launcher through a belt loop to lock it in place. "I know, just doin' your job."

Almost immediately, she was grabbed and held tightly by a large man with dark eyes and dark chocolate skin. "Abby," he said softly, coughing after doing so.

She felt his body lurch a bit and glanced at him worriedly. "Your rib," she said, more as a statement than a question.

He placed his hand over the broken bone and smiled at her. "Nothing I haven't had broken before," he said, passing it off as nothing.

The young woman rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Way to tell me that you're the fuzz," she added as an afterthought. Fleetingly, she looked about the room, feeling the unusual feeling of being watched as she re-embraced her father.

When they separated, Rex held her hand as he introduced the rest of people in the room. "This is Mr. Dickenson," The agent said softly. "He's the head of the B.B.A."

"Charmed," she whispered, slightly in awe of the man before her. This was rather lucky of her, to meet the man who was practically responsible for beyblade's current existance on the planet.

The older man smiled at her. "Miss Banner," he said, his voice like that of anyone's lovable grandfather. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

She smiled as her father continued. "These two, he said, motioning to two adults who looked rather exhausted if she did say so herself, "Are--"

"AJ's parents!" The teen explaimed, looking between the couple who eyed her, slightly thrown off by her exclamation. "Your daughter's okay," she said immediately, causing a sigh of relief from the group, save one member. She knew it wasn't exactly what AJ wanted her to say, but hey, AJ wasn't here right now.

"Miss," Stanley Dickenson pressed, "Audrey Carson comitted suicide a few months ago."

A snort was heard from the corner of the room that overlooked the city. There stood a proud young man, clad in greys and navy, clad in a white scarf that looked almost gausy from her point of view. The faint light caught the glimmer of a blue beyblade. "He's still delusional."

The smile that blossomed over Abby's face was almost insane. "Kai," she said happily. The boy's eyes glimmered from somekind of unknown source, trying to recognize her. The shine dulled slightly as she extended her hand his direction.

"Kai," Rex said, nodding to show his approval, "This is my daughter, Abby."

They shook and he let out a small 'hn' of approval. "AJ and I split up," She explained once he released her hand from the near vice-grip it had been in in his grasp.

His eyes widened and he nearly put the fear of the almighty in her when he spoke. "Where did she go?"

Abby looked at him again, noting the intense fear that gripped his eyes, and quite possibly, his heart. "Carson Enterprise's headquarters. She's going to confront Morrison."

"I'm going," the Russian champ said, turning to look out the window toward the large Carson Enterprises building.

Dickenson gaped at him. "You're out of your mind! You were held captive there for months! At least allow yourself to recover." Turning toward the rightful owners of that company, he attempted to talk some sense into them. "I admit that trusting Morrison may have been a mistake, but you cannot possibly allow this."

"_May_ have been a mistake?" Matthew Carson threw his head toward the direction of the door. "No one's acting angry with you, Stanley. And as far as condonment, I give mine and then some. Not that he needs our permission."

"Thanks, Dad."

"_Dad_?"

The amythyst-eyed champ shrugged. "I'll explain later," he stated.

"Rose," The chairman pleaded. "Please."

"Oh shove off, old man. Go get 'er, honey," The woman said, beaming. Kai nodded and headed toward the door.

Before he could reach it, the door flew open, revealing the entire Team BBA. "Kai!" They yelled, resisting the urge to embrace the champion. Well, everyone did, except Tyson, who nearly took the Russian captain out with his tackle of a bear hug.

Surprisingly, a soft smile graced the pale-skinned champion as he lightly embraced the blunette. "Hi, Tyson," he murmurred, much to everyone's surprise. Max held back tears as they parted, though Hilary was not as strong. The captain looked fleetingly at all of them before looking back at Abby.

"Are you coming with us?" he asked, although he figured the answer already.

"Seriously? Cool," she said, her voice very calm.

"Hilary," The chairman tried, as a last resort. "You've got to convince them not to go after Morrison."

"Are you kidding me? As a beyblader, his bullshit is just wrong." Murmurrs of agreement backed her up. "Besides, no one messes with our family."

"Our?"

"Yeah, _our_," The rest of the gang repeated.

They raced out of the room, until Kai was the last one of the beybladers facing the man."Don't worry," He said to the two people he regarded as his parents. "I'm gonna--"

The two Carsons shook their heads to cut him off. "We know."

xxxxxxxxxx

Glancing up at the huge building, almost a hundred stories tall, AJ blinked twice. Her eyes narrowed and she swore that hawk-like vision allowed her to see the man awaiting her atop the building.

Emerald hair, beady eyes.

Focus: her. More specifically: Viatsu.

_AJ, are you ready?_ The beast called to her. _Morrison's waiting for us._

'Ooh, he is _so_ gonna pay.'

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**Well, that's it for now, folks. AJ's about to confront Morrison, and the gang's about fifteen minutes behind her. For now... mwahahaha. I have a feeling that they might have a little bit of trouble getting there. After all, evil guys tend to have plans, in case of emergency, don't they?**

**Please review. It'll inspire me to update sooner. I've got a little creative juice leftover. Tell me where you want it.**

**Love ya all!**

**xoxo DistantStorm**


	11. Chapter 11

And... the spot for the disclaimer is HERE. It's currently sulking in chapter six. Why? Don't ask me.

Chapter Eleven

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Months ago, had someone told her, a mere fifteen-year-old bloke living in London, England, that she would be running through the city's streets fighting evil with the best beybladers on the planet, she would have told them to smoke another joint. However, looking at the current situation, she was keeping pace with a rather in-shape Tyson Granger, who was matching Kai Hiwatari's pace step for step.

"Carson Enterprises is up just a bit," Hilary Tachibana called, glancing back. The woman took a sharp left, almost taking out a pedestrian, who gawked awkwardly at the champions.

Abby Banner cocked her head at an angle, as to catch Kai's glance. "Hey, Kai, you never did explain what the bloody hell was going on with the whole Dad-thing."

The Russian lingered for a moment before switching sides with Tyson. Surprisingly, the once enslaved teen kept up and then some, despite the deprivation of physical activity during the course of his captivity. "They're my family."

"So you really love her that much?" Almost immediately, she regretted saying what she had, for fear it would shut up the champion. At the moment her mind was screaming at her. _What are you doing?_ It shouted throughout her cranium, _The guy's a fuckin' champion and you're practically a fan-girl!_

A smirk crossed the captain's face. "Hn."

Hilary lagged for a moment, opting to run on the other side of the teen. "That's his way of being too prideful to admit it."

"I'm not afraid to say it, Hilary."

A soft smile adorned the brunette's face. "We know. She's new to the group, that's all." Her words were just slightly more sympathetic than before, and Kai refused to speak again. His attitude and behavior all shouted of the same thing. He missed AJ, and there was nothing he wanted more than to get her back.

"Did you notice anything strange about her bit beast?" The neko-jin asked, his senses working themselves into overdrive to detect any subtle changes in their environment.

Abby tapped her index finger to her cheek. "If you mean that she's way more strong than she was when she won the championships in Barcelona, then no. If you mean the fact that she called out Viatsu's name and suddenly we had two unconscious beybladers and two disintigrated cyber bit beasts on our hands, then yes."

"How much stronger?"

"Between that and the energy drink she was drinking, I could tell she was shaking."

"She doesn't shake from energy drinks," Kai murmurred. "She might have been attempting to pass it off as nothing, but trust me, I've seen her drink those things before."

"It might not be Viatsu," Ray began. "She barely eats, and the sleep factor is pretty much a negative, so..." He trailed off, realizing that these things were not making it any easier for the captain. "She's gonna be fine, Kai."

"Morrison said that Viatsu's new powers would be too much for her."

"Bit beasts work in strange ways. Besides, I doubt she'd be alone," Tyson hummed. "I suppose that Suzaku, whatever that is, would be with her. She said something about a Suzaku when we found her at your mansion."

Kai's eyes widened in realization. He pulled out his beyblade.

_She knows,_ The phoenix said simply. _She knows it is I who is Suzaku._

'Dranzer...'

_It's alright, master. Her thought process was never definite on it, but I suppose she knew it was I when I took off after you. My link with her is weak, but for now she is alright. Your love for her must have drawn her to your father's letter. She is intent on making the wrongs right. If she has her way, there will be no more evil to toy with us again._

'It would have been much easier if you had this connection with both of us a few months ago.'

_The situation hardly needed it. We had no preparations... But AJ will be fine. Viatsu is in control of her evolution. For now. We'll find her before anything happens._

'That means it will happen.'

A small sigh escaped the phoenix through their link. _For now let's hope she can hold off the worst of it. I have a feeling that this new threat will try to draw it out of Viatsu. She is on the brink of an evolution the likes of which even I do not know of. I know she will defend AJ at all costs, even her own life. Things will work out._

'I trust you,' The beyblader murmurred mentally.

_And I you._ The she-phoenix whistled, before pulsing gently from her beyblade, cutting off their link.

"What is it with you guys and phasing out in the midst of conversation?" Abby tapped her foot impatiently, standing before Kai. "Talking to Dranzer?" She asked, dully.

"Hn." He took off, grabbing her wrist to drag her back to speed with the rest of the group.

xxxxxxxxxx

The front entrance was locked to the building she saught entrance into. Shrugging, she locked Viatsu into her launcher and launched, successfully obliterating the doors and setting off the security alarms in her wake. Oh well, the teenaged girl thought to herself. The would would not end because she set of some alarms. Besides, she mentally countered herself, Viatsu could take whatever they had planned and then some.

Almost as quickly as it had begun, the alarms had stopped ringing. From the plasma screen behind the lobby's reception desk, a plasma screen immediately lit up, exposing the man she currently loathed.

"Miss Carson, what a pleasant surprise," He spoke in a calm, cool tone. Something was not right with this, she began to realize. "I'm sure you realize that if your family and boyfriend were actually here, there would be more of an opposition waiting for you right now.

"Where are they?"

He smirked, glad to know he had the upper hand in this department. "Why, they escaped with the help of Agent Banner. Mister Hiwatari and his friends are on their way here at this moment. Too bad that they won't be able to reach you. There is a rather large opposition waiting for them."

"I'm the one you wanted to trap here, eh?"

Laughter reached her through the speakers transmitting the man's sinister voice. He smiled onscreen. "You have what I want."

It was AJ's turn to laugh, and she did so, rather malificently. "And you'll never have it."

"Now, now, don't go underestimating your enemies, Miss Carson."

"Don't go underestimating me, Morrison. I was crowned champion for a reason."

His laughter subsided, leaving a sense of cruelty for a reason. "Petty girl, your title means nothing here." Turning back to the business at hand, he smiled again. "There are a hundred and twenty floors. Every ten floors for the first seven floors, you will have a challenge. If you win, you take the elevator to the next floor. If it is a draw, you take the stairs. Losing will see you stripped of your bit beast, and if you're lucky, I'll kill you before you're tortured too badly. After the seventieth floor, you will travel to the eighty-fifth, hundreth, and one-hundred-fifteenth. If you make it through these trials, which I doubt, we shall have our final confrontation here, on the roof."

Stepping aside, the emerald-haired baddie motioned to a man in a black suit, obviously a henchman of some sort. "Miss Carson," Morrison said simply, "This is One. Kai and One spent a great deal of time together." AJ's lips curled in anger as the man drew out a whip. "One here is rather skilled in the art of torture. Kai learned that rather quickly, though he is no stranger to a whip." Morrison snapped and One lifted up a corner of his shirt to reveal a rather severe hole. Obviously, it was a bullet mark. "Agent Banner thought he could kill my right-hand man, but apparently he was wrong. When you lose," Morrison's smile grew wider, as did One's, "One will have the pleasure of giving you the torture Banner should have received for his betrayal."

The crack of the whip in One's hand did not seem to phase her. "And when I win, you will have the pleasure of whatever punishment my boyfriend sees fit."

A smile crinkled his face, though his eyes shone just as ominously as ever, giving her the impression of compacted insanity. "I assure you," he crooned, "Things will not come down to that."

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It was no surprise to her that the first few levels were rather easy. Her attackers were mostly automatic launching machines that she took out(not to mention the countless beyblades they spat out) with little effort. The elevators took her up as Morrison promised, though she felt this intense smothering feeling. Viatsu was strangely quiet, which gave an ominous feeling to the situation on top of the previous.

"Let's see what you've got," she whispered, as the doors to the seventieth door opened. She was no idiot. At some point, she was to be contfronted by a beyblader.

So when the doors opened and a woman with piercing aqua eyes and jet black hair opposed her, AJ pulled her hair back into a ponytail and prepared herself. Nervousness was not present. She was confident this time. With Viatsu, she could accomplish anything.

"It's about time," The woman who faced the former-champion said, yawning. "I thought you were good. Who takes an hour to go through those drills?"

AJ shrugged and drew out her launcher. Her beyblade was still completely in-tact, the only factor that allowed it to seem as though it had been recently used was the large amount of heat that radiated from it.

'You ready, partner?'

Viatsu mentally reached out to her human companion. _Let's do this._

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Kai felt Dranzer's presence waver for just a second. Listening to the phoenix through their mental link, he immediately filled in the others. "She's battling someone at Carson Enterprises. It doesn't seem to be too much of a problem for her, according to Dranzer..."

Tyson looked over at Hilary, whose eyes did not stray from the building before them. It was about ten blocks away at this point, and they could tell that it was easily the tallest building in this part of town, though not by much. The ominous aura in the air disturbed them.

"Hil, what's going on?" The blunette grabbed her shoulders, but her eyes remained in their wide position, glancing directly ahead.

"Is it just me," Ray said suddenly, "Or is there a ton of really angry looking beybladers coming this way?"

Hilary locked her beyblade into position, looking at her comrades, then at Abby. "Showtime."

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She nearly tumbled into the elevator, leaning against the cool metal wall in the back of it. Her first two human opponents were really nothing special. This one, though, the third, was especially tricky. Glancing down at her left forearm, she was not surprised that more blood had oozed from the thick and deep wound placed there by the boy from the previous level. She had barely pulled out a win there, and her strength was beginning to waver, as she had learned.

An ominous feeling spread over her as she waited patiently for the elevator to reach its next level. She did not try to stop it, knowing that it was futile without the control key. Immediately, she pulled out her cell phone and checked it, only to see that it lacked a signal. Morrison truly wanted her to be alone.

_You're not alone though, are you?_

"Apparently not," She mused aloud, since she was alone. "Whoever's beyond that door, Viatsu, we're gonna destroy them, right?"

_Don't doubt us for a second._

"How's the evolution going?"

The bit beast cringed a bit uncomfortably through their link. _A bit painful at times, but this is nothing. I'm afraid that the climax will be a bit much for us, but otherwise, we should be okay._

"So we've just got some exrusciating pain to deal with. Shouldn't be too bad."

_Not as bad as it was battling Shane._

"Sounds like fun."

The bit beast chortled at her mistress's behavior. _You never disappoint me when it comes to sarcasm,_ She replied, before ending their link as the elevator came to a screeching and deathly slow hault.

This level was much darker than the previous one. It was pitch black in the room she found herself in, the only light came from the elevator's pale ceiling light behind her.

"Welcome, Miss Carson."

That voice.

_That_ voice.

Kai had warned her about that voice, and more importantly, that person. He was not to be trusted whatsoever. Tyson had nearly lost to this being at the cost of everything they held dear as beybladers. He was not on their level. There was something about him, something that made him tick. It was not beyblading spirit, as Kai had told her. A shiver trailed the length of her spine.

"Please, feel free to draw your beyblade at any time. I think Morrison would like it if you were beybattling when I take you down."

There before her stood the one person Kai had beaten at the cost of everything but his life.

So help her God, there before her stood Brooklyn.

He smiled.

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**Notes: **I know, I know, you take forever to update, and the segments are really, really really short in this one. It's kind of a filler, leading up to the big stuff, as I tried to imply through the sort-of cliffhanger. We all know that something big is coming up, and it is going to be REALLY REALLY BIG. Can we say, Hello Climax?! I'll be busy writing, and hopefully you won't kill me for taking forever!


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